


We're Not Done

by roxminallo



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxiety, BL, Depression, Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-10-12 14:12:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10492623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxminallo/pseuds/roxminallo
Summary: "Once a cheater, always a cheater." Well, that's if the cheater even cheated. In Roxas's eyes there is nothing Axel can do to prove that he didn't cheat. As Roxas loses the one love that he thought was permanent, he struggles to keep the friendships that are still there.





	1. Fuck You in Particular

 

* * *

 

 

" _How could you even think that? I love you so fucking much, why would I mess that up?"_

A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth as he slammed his pencil down onto the table, creating a loud crack that echoed throughout the entire classroom. He didn't need to look up; he could already feel the heat of nineteen pairs of eyes resting delicately on his person. He was never one to be inconspicuous.

" _Can you just listen to me? You aren't even letting me explain!"_

Looking over to his phone that laid oh-so out in the open, his stare turned to ice seeing the vibrant flashing across the screen. Turning away from the phone, he caught an azure set of eyes, compassion leaking into the classroom around them.

_I don't need your sympathy._

He scoffed, picking up his pencil, once more allowing it to glide across the worksheet of integrals and derivatives, filling the boring white blocks with bursts of sadism and death. _Mostly_ death.

"Is there an issue, Roxas?" Professor Vexen questioned, keeping calm after being so rudely interrupted by a No. 2 pencil. There were multiple laughs heard throughout the room, but he didn't need to look. He knew that Vanitas and Larxene were the culprits.

"Unfortunately professor, there are many problems. This class is currently one of them. Maybe not the biggest problem, but I can bet it's a solid contender for second place."

Returning his full attention to the worksheet and his captivating ode to the Grim Reaper, he pressed his pencil hard against the paper, breaking the tip of the lead. He closed his eyes and breathed in heavily, waiting for Vexen's inevitable rebuttal. But none came.

Letting his breath out, he looked up to search for that same pair of blue eyes, this time finding a look of disbelief.

"So pathetic…" Larxene half whispered to Vanitas, loud enough for the entire classroom to hear. Few laughs were heard from the statement, but Vexen immediately calmed down the class and resumed the end of the lesson. Roxas shook his head, staring blankly at the paper.

It's easier to not care about things when you've admitted that you've lost all control. He knew that he had been constantly crossing lines and pushing boundaries relentlessly. He was never a student to bring outside problems into the classroom, but there is a first time for everything. Especially when the object of your misery insisted on apologizing for something, that is _unforgivable_ , every minute of the day.

His stomach twisted, the contents of his lunch, or lack there of, begging to escape as he closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing.

This has been his routine for the past four days. The only reward being getting through the entire day without crying, or making himself so sick that he threw up. Of course, it's gotten better since four days ago. He doesn't throw up as much, but that would actually require him to eat more than a pack of crackers.

Roxas glared at his phone, watching _his_ name appear on the top of the screen for the sixth time today. Of course, he had no reason to reply. He had no desire to do anything.

Thoughts interrupted by the blaring of the school bell signified that his torment of the confined prison had ended, at least till the morning. Muttering under his breath over the homework assignment from Vexen, he stood up and shoved his belongings into his bag.

"Rox, let's walk home today. They say it's going to get a lot colder soon, so I thought we could enjoy it while it lasted. Come with me, we can talk," the redhead spoke, hiking her purse strap onto her shoulder.

"I'll come with you when the coldness of the air matches that of my small, black heart."

"Rox, cut the dramatics," Kairi laughed lightly, placing a hand on the top of his head, ruffling it gently.

"Why do you ask when you know the answer?" Roxas spoke, emotionless as he sighed and swatted away his best friends hand. Why do people think there is a hidden meaning when he says he doesn't want to talk? If he wanted to talk, he would. He didn't want to open up and let more people into the cut that hasn't even had time to scab. Most importantly, he didn't want _Kairi_ of all people to know about his problems with her brother.

"Why do you give the same answer when you know I won't accept it? You have to. No longer will I come to school to see you ripping your small, black heart out," she smiled playfully, throwing his words back at him. "You do enough of that at home."

"Fine," he spat, walking past her at such a brisk pace that he knew she would have to jog to catch up. He navigated the halls mindlessly, allowing his legs to take him clear across the building and into the senior locker bank. Twisting the lock effortlessly, he opened his locker, throwing his backpack onto the floor, and stuffed his sweatshirt into his bag.

"You may need that sweatshirt."

"Thanks mom, but your definition of cold isn't cold."

He didn't know why he kept shutting her down. He knew that she was just trying to help, he just couldn't shake the fact that she wanted to know more about this than he was willing to release, and he didn't feel that he needed to share.

"Your phone's ringing."

"I have voicemail for a reason," he picked up his backpack, shut his locker swiftly, and re-locked it before walking down the hall. If Kairi wanted to talk, she would have to start walking.

He walked by person after person, names flying through his mind. He knew everybody, but that didn't necessarily mean they were friends. There were always the people that hated him for no reason, the people who didn't talk to anybody, and the close-knit group of fuck-ups that somehow loved you no matter what. He had Sora of course, but he was bound by blood, and there was _unfortunately_ no escaping that. He had Selphie and Tidus, even though they spent more time with their hands in each other's pants than maintaining a friendship. He had Demyx and Zexion, and he had Axel.

_Had._

"You're going to have to answer it eventually," Kairi spoke simply; finally catching up to the pace Roxas had set.

"And why is that? I do believe that I don't have to answer any phone call I receive. That's the beauty of the decline button. I do believe, that I can delete text messages before even reading them if I want to. I don't have to answer shit. Fucking stop."

And then there was the time every day, for the past four days, when he finally snapped. He would notice the hurt in one of his friend's eyes for something he said, and he would immediately regret it.

"I'm sorry. Okay?" He paused, stopping completely just outside the school doors. "I'm on edge right now. It's a little hard to come to terms with losing somebody that has been my main focus for almost three years now," he apologized, hoping that Kairi would brush his outburst aside.

Kairi was a good friend. She had _always_ brushed his outbursts aside.

"I know Rox… But you need to talk to him. You didn't even let him say anything to you. You just blew up, and left. How do you think he feels being blamed for doing something that he didn't-"

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're on his side too?" Roxas looked at her incredulously. "You truly think he didn't cheat on me? When the evidence is clearly in front of us? People _saw_ him and Vanitas go into that bedroom together," Roxas shook his head. "I know what I believe. My trust was shattered, and there is no backing out of this. I know he did it Kairi," he looked down, clenching his eyes trying his hardest to squeeze the tears back into his head. "You know… You know when you have that gut feeling telling you something is wrong?" He asked, receiving a small nod from his best friend.

"I had that feeling at the party. I just… I just knew something had happened, and the fact that he acted like everything was normal makes me just believe that he really _did_ cheat on me."

"Roxas, just stop it," Kairi spat, grabbing his arm roughly when he began to walk away. "I'm going to say this once, and only once," she glared at him. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Kairi, get off me."

"Shut up. So this is what you're going to do. You're going to call him, and you're going to talk to him; and when you realize that you're blowing this way out of proportion, he'll be there waiting for you with open arms," she let go of his arm, backing away from him slowly.

_You're just as stupid._

"We'll see about that," he pushed her away gently, and turned to go, immediately feeling her hand grab his arm again. Instead of turning around, he ripped his arm away, leaving his best friend behind him in the courtyard.

* * *

  

 

 

 

"And he still didn't listen to you?" Axel prodded even though he could visibly see the anger radiating off of the redheaded girl in front of him.

"Axe, I've been trying the past four days for him to just listen to me, I'm so tired of this. You guys don't care how much this is screwing with all of us," Kairi pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail before continuing. "He barely eats, you won't eat. He won't talk to me, his _best friend_ of fifteen years. He's lashing out on teachers, students, anybody that _looks_ at him the wrong way, it's so fucking dramatic. He's not the same Axel," she closed her eyes, not wanting to ask the same question she's been asking all week. "Axel, tell me the truth. Did you che-"

"Kairi, how many times are you going to ask me this? I fucking told you, no. I did _not_ cheat on him. Vanitas came onto me, and I immediately left the room. I left no window of opportunity to cheat on him. Nor would I _ever_ cheat on him. I can't believe he is even trusting that rat's word over mine," he snapped, throwing his body further into the couch, crossing his right leg over his left.

"I was just asking!" She yelled over his final words. "God Axel, you two need to grow up," she sighed, placing her fingers on her temples, rubbing them lightly. She felt her hands begin to shake gently, realizing how worked up she was getting. "He won't open up to me Axel… He just stares at me, right fucking through me. He doesn't laugh with me, or smile…" Kairi closed he eyes, feeling small tears burn in the corners of her eyes. "I know heartbreak is a bitch, but he's giving it a new definition."

_Don't cry._

She laughed forcefully, immediately pulling herself out of the situation.

"You two are driving me crazy. One minute I'm crying, the next I'm laughing. You're affecting everyone around you, and it's driving all of us insane." She stood up, watching intently as her brother pulled out his phone. "Don't bother calling him, he won't answer you. He won't until he wants to," she said as she turned away, tucking a loose strand behind her ear.

"Then what should I do Kairi?" Axel spat, throwing his phone gently against the couch. "I can't just leave him alone and ignore him," he sighed, placing his elbows on his knees, leaning forward slightly.

"And why can't you do that? That's exactly what he's doing to you," she replied without thinking, noticing her brother's eyes widen. She sighed, sitting down on the couch next to him. "I'm sorry Axel, I didn't mean…" She leaned towards him, attempting to put her arm on his back when he moved further away, his other hand outstretched towards her.

"Don't."

She looked away, not needing to see the muddled tears forming in the corners of his eyes. This was what she was talking about. The past four days, everyone has had to tread carefully around Roxas and Axel in hopes that something they said didn't offend one of them. She sighed heavily, tucking her feelings and her issues away for the twentieth time this week and stood up.

"Why don't you try to meet him at school tomorrow? Try to pick him up at the end of the day?" She questioned easily, not entirely sure if he would agree with the idea. "It'll either go one of two ways… He'll agree to talk to you, or he won't… And if he doesn't how could it be any worse than it is now?" She added gently, seeing her brothers eyes open softly.

"Yeah…" he replied softly, nodding his head lightly. "Yeah, you're right…" he looked up to her, a small smile on his face showing the other that she was easily forgiven. "I love you Kai," he stood, wrapping his arms around his sister tightly, not showing any signs of releasing. She smiled and laughed lightly, happy that the tense air of the room quickly left.

"I love you too Axel," she spoke softly. "I just want the two of you back together," she added.

"Me too."

* * *

**From:** Queen Kairi

_I work six to close. If you show, there's a sea-salt milkshake with your name on it. If you don't, then don't expect to live through tonight._

He sighed heavily and threw his phone to the foot of his bed, not even bothering to answer the message that Kairi had sent him. It was the normal routine. Roxas was upset about something somebody did, and Kairi invited him to the diner for a "free" milkshake. She thought she was being sneaky by telling him that it was free, but Roxas knew that Kairi had to pay for it. He never mentioned anything because he saw how happy it made Kairi whenever Roxas opened up to her. Plus, she got a small break every time he walked in.

Of course tonight, he had no plans of _actually_ opening up to her. Call him crazy, but he wasn't entirely keen on the fact that his ex-boyfriends sister was trying to scoot her way between the two of them. It was just plain awkward, but their friendship was strange, and he couldn't help but applaud her determination.

Nine times out of ten, no matter what they fought about, there was an automatic 'forgive and forget' policy that managed to find it's way to them within five minutes of an argument. He knew that she was already over the small fight they had at school, and if he was being completely honest, he was over it the second it happened.

He slid off the bed, leaving his phone behind as he made his way to the dark cherry floorboards of his room, towards the indented windowsill. It was clear that he was the favorite child, because whenever Sora and Roxas fought about who would get the room with the bay windows, their mother immediately squashed the fight and gave it to him. He sat down on the cushion and leaned against the windowsill, staring down towards the end of the cul-de-sac. The house at the end of the circle felt more like home than the one he currently stood in, and he silently begged for time to turn the clocks back before any of this shit storm started. He turned his attention to the road, where rain was beginning to fall lightly, wishing the temperature were slightly colder so that it could take the shape of snowflakes.

He turned back to his phone that was lying face down on his small, twin-sized bed. He hadn't received a message or a call from Axel in the past three hours. Since Monday, Axel would text him a couple times in school, and then he would hammer his phone with texts and calls the second he got out of school till he turned his phone off at night.

_Maybe he's with someone…_

Stop. He shook his head, trying to physically shake the thoughts from out of it. Even if Axel were with somebody else, it didn't matter.

They weren't together. They were done. He walked over to his bed to pick up his phone, immediately putting it into his pocket. He ripped his t-shirt off, and walked over to his closet to find a dark blue 'Destinia University' sweatshirt that his mother had gotten him as a 'please don't leave the island for college' present last month. Entering the hallway, he descended the staircase only to be shot with the smell of a fresh cooked dinner. His mother has been making all of his favorites since the breakup. He sighed, walking into the kitchen slowly. He had no idea how to get out of this one.

"Rox, sweetie, dinner will be ready short- … you _are_ staying, aren't you?" Ayumi spoke softly, noticing his sweatshirt and combat boots, frowning lightly. Sora finally stared up from his cell phone, noticing the grim expression on Roxas's face.

"I promised Kairi I would meet her for something. She said she really needed to talk, but I'll be home soon… If you can just push dinner back like, an hour…"

"Uh… Don't keep her too long," Sora interjected, a small understanding smile on his face. "She looked like, super upset today," he piped in, knowing all too well of the twin game they were playing. Roxas sent him a small smile, thanking him silently for covering, before making his way to the front door.

"Don't keep her waiting dear, but be back soon. You know how much I hate when my two little men aren't here to have dinner with me," Ayumi smiled, slapping Sora gently for rolling his eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it mom," Roxas joked before walking out the door and into the cold fall air.

"Sora honey, do me a favor and stop adding to Roxas's cover story. He's a better liar than you, you just make me believe him less," she smiled, turning towards the stove. "Grab a plate, dinner's ready."

* * *

 

"You haven't touched your milkshake, sire," Kairi set her tray down onto the table in front of her, sitting down casually across from Roxas to relieve some of the pain in her feet. Her boss had just _insisted_ that they act like an old-school diner and wear roller skates.

"Actually, peasant, I had a sip," Roxas looked at the girl in front of him, noticing her eyes of wonderment.

"Oh dear, a single sip! It'll go straight to your ass," she smiled, reaching over to his milkshake and taking a long sip.

"I don't think your boss will appreciate th-"

"Oh shut it, I'm on break," she choked. "And Cid isn't even here. Also, you're like the only customer in here," she finished, using the brown plastic tray to fan herself.

Roxas looked around the restaurant, noticing that the booths that had families in it just twenty minutes ago were now empty, leaving only Terra to clean them up.

"I guess I spaced out for a while," he sighed, feeling the redhead across him relax into her seat.

"He misses you."

"Kairi."

That's all he had to say. One simple word, and Kairi knew not to push her boundaries anymore for the day. Especially if they already fought that day. He grabbed for his milkshake, picking the spoon out of it and playing with the light blue colored concoction that Kairi had mixed several minutes prior.

"You want to talk about anything in particular?" She placed her hands forward, taking the glass and placing it at the end of the table. "I'll listen," she smiled.

He sighed, muttering lightly to himself, and closed his eyes with a small shake of his head.

"What was that?" Kairi leaned forward.

"Roxas, long time no see," Terra spoke smoothly, placing his tray down onto the table gently on top of Kairi's. "You don't come around as often as before, you should change that," he smiled, sitting down next to Roxas gently. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Actually-"

"No, it's fine Terra," Roxas replied, giving Kairi a small glare. "We were just hanging out and talking. I actually have to get going in a little anyway," Roxas nodded, scooting away from Terra just slightly, to put more room in between them.

"Listen, I heard about Axel, I just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear about that," he spoke smoothly, placing a hand on Roxas's shoulder. Roxas shrugged it off, and looked to Kairi for help, apologizing with his eyes that he had shut her down just moments ago.

"Are you kidding me Terra, you don't just do that," Kairi spat, picking up his tray and shoving it towards him. "Go finish cleaning the tables, I've tried to work all day to make Roxas happy and you ruin it with one sentence," she sighed, watching the taller brunette stand.

"I wasn't trying to-"

"It's fine… I just, don't want to talk about it," Roxas spoke gently. "It was nice to see you Terra." Roxas replied shortly, clearly wanting the other male to leave. Luckily he picked up on the implication and skated away slowly, picking up dirty glasses and plates on his way towards the kitchen.

"Can you fucking believe that guy?" Kairi asked, shaking her head side to side. "Beautiful? Yes, but dumb as a brick. You just don't go around saying shit like that, like the fuck?"

"Everything's wrong," Roxas spoke, voice wavering slightly as he looked towards the table. Kairi immediately stopped insulting Terra and reached over to grab Roxas's hands. This is exactly what she wanted, Roxas to break down enough to get him to want to talk.

"I know," she muttered lightly, rubbing her thumbs against his hands gently. "You'll pull through this Roxas, you always do. You're strong."

"He's been my entire life for almost three years now Kairi. You just don't bounce back from that in a week," Roxas spat, desperately begging for the tears in the corners of his eyes to disappear. He was honestly surprised he could still cry. "I want him back so bad, you don't even know. But I can't shake the feeling that I have to share his bed with somebody else, or that I have to kiss him, right after Vanitas did."

"Roxas, you don't even know if that's true."

"I know it is, Kairi. I just… I just know," he stopped her cold, yet again. He glanced over to his milkshake, picking it up and taking one last sip out of it.

"I'm not really hungry or thirsty anymore, I think I'm going to head home," Roxas slid out of the seat, pulling his hands out of Kairi's grip and avoiding her eye contact. He knew he shouldn't be pissed off at Kairi, but hey… you lash out on the people that will forgive you the most.

"You can't run from this forever, Rox," she spoke quickly, standing up slowly as she grabbed her tray.

_I know I can't…_

"Watch me."


	2. Help Me, Help You

 

* * *

 

Perhaps creating angry faces into a bowl of mashed potatoes wasn't the most _socially acceptable_ thing somebody could do, but Roxas decided three minutes ago that he ran out of fucks to give earlier in the day.

"Instead of mutilating poor innocent Yukon Gold's, how about we work on our English project? Hm?" Kairi placed a smooth hand across Roxas's own, urging him to drop the fork that was attempting murder to the discolored goop sitting in front of him.

"First, if you think for a second this school actually buys real potatoes, you're dumber than I thought you were. Second, I don't want to work on our project because it isn't due until Monday. We have the weekend, so stop trying to be a good student," Roxas stopped her cold in thought, feeling the eyes of the people that were sitting at their table.

"What the _fuck_ set up camp in his ass?" Tidus spoke pointedly to the brunette next to him, not bothering to cover up his voice with a whisper. Roxas turned his head to glare at the couple heatedly, immediately causing them to place their attention back to the food in front of them.

"Today is Friday, and I highly doubt that you'll want to work on it over the weekend," she reasoned, earning an exasperated sigh from the blonde boy. "Unless you want to come over to my house, and work on it. That would be fine with me," Kairi smiled. "And Axel."

"That's what this is about?" Tidus spoke again, this time being quickly shut up by the obnoxious brunette next to him.

"Tidy, if you know what's good for you, I'd can it. And that says a lot coming from me," Selphie said lightly, earning a few laughs around the table. Roxas looked across his seat to Kairi, who still had a smile plastered onto her face. How is that she could _always_ find a way to make Roxas want to punch her?

"How can someone be so nice, and so sadistic at the same time?" He shot, hearing the girl in subject laugh lightly. "We'll work on it over the weekend, but you're coming to my house," he spat, pushing his lunch tray away from him.

"Ah, ah, ah, Roxas. No can do," Kairi stated simply, closing her eyes and shaking her head lightly side to side.

Roxas swallowed tightly, his blood now boiling. He sighed, slowly opening his mouth to speak. "And why is that, Master?"

"I love when you call me that," Kairi smiled. "And because you and Axel need to settle this fight. It's tearing you two apart, and it's tearing you apart from yourself. This is day five now Rox, we've put up with it all week, and we are _here_ trying to help you. Stop pushing us away. Don't you see how it's affecting everybody?" Kairi stopped, looking around the rectangular lunch table. "Selphie hasn't said much in the past fifteen minutes, and we all know how much of a loudmouth she is. Tidus can't even glance in this direction without you shooting daggers into his soul. Demyx isn't even sitting with us, because last time him and Zexion touched each other, your head almost spun completely around like the exorcist, and I can't take the emotional beatings that you dish out," Kairi spoke quickly. "Not _anymore_ at least," she finally stopped, hoping at least a few words of her rant would sink into his thick skull.

"I didn't ask any of you to be affected by this, and I definitely didn't ask any of you for help. Mind your own business, and get back to your own fucking lives. Plain and simple," Roxas spat.

_You are so stupid._

"Roxy, we're just trying to help. There's no need to-"

"No," Kairi spoke quickly. "No, Selphie. He's right. He doesn't need us, and he doesn't need our help. After all, he didn't ask for it," she stared, emotion absent from her delicate features.

"We need to get back to our lives. And if he wants to sit in his _pathetic_ and _worthless_ state of being, then fine by me. I'll be here in the end to pick up the pieces, but I won't be here to watch him break down.  I'm trying to fix this, and clearly he doesn't want it fixed," she stood, swinging her backpack over her shoulders and walking straight out of the cafeteria.

"What the fuck, Rox?" Tidus hissed, staring straight into his eyes. "This isn't you, man," he stood up, not bothering to wait for Selphie to follow. He knew she would.

Roxas stared down at the mutilated face that he created in his food, before allowing the tears that had formed in his eyes to finally fall. He knew that everything that the two said was completely true. He was a monster, and a dramatic one at that. People get their heart broken every day, there's no need to act like everybody around you died.

"I'm not going to say that they're right," Selphie paused, suddenly at the other side of the table, crouching down so that they were both at eye level. "But you already lost the most important thing in your life… Don't lose the others," she stood, rubbing Roxas's arm gently before walking out of the cafeteria after the other two.

* * *

" _I would never betray you. And I can't understand why you would even think I could betray you."_

"I'm walking over to the coffee shop before I go home so I can pick up my schedule. Do you want to come with me, Rox?" Sora smiled, feeling the warmth of another body embrace him gently from the side. Lifting his head ever so slightly, he could feel the heat radiating off of Riku's porcelain face.

"You walk home alone too much Rox, come with us," Riku smiled, finally letting Sora go for long enough for him to slip his backpack over his shoulders.

"Your point is?" Roxas asked dryly. Who care is he walked home alone? It was his quiet and personal time to think and relax, and he didn't think anybody needed to impede on that.

"We're just saying that we want your company Roxas…" Riku approached gently. Since the breakup, Roxas has been slightly sour towards the couple. Both Sora and Riku knew not to take it too personally, but this week it hasn't been easy. Any time they would be in the same room as Roxas, it was as if they couldn't even go near each other. They decided to sit outside this week for lunch, with Demyx and Zexion till everything calmed down a little, the other couple also fearful that they were making Roxas even more upset than he already was.

"And I'm just saying to mind your own fucking business," Roxas began walking, as he swung his messenger bag over his shoulder. He finally reached the front door to the school, and swung it open as the final bell of the day went off over the loudspeakers. Kairi was right about one thing, it _was_ getting colder. The crisp wind slapped against his face and arms like a whip, immediately making him shiver. He really needed to stop forgetting his jacket.

"Roxas."

Roxas stopped immediately, freezing in place. It was as if the crisp of the wind finally froze through his bones, completely immobilizing his movement. His breath caught in his throat, and he began taking shallow breaths.

"Roxas, I just want to talk to you."

He tried to move and get away from him, but his body still wasn't reacting. He couldn't even think straight. That's why he was so surprised when he was able to form a complete thought.

"There's nothing to talk about," he spoke, his breathing rugged.

"No, there's plenty to talk about," Axel pushed harder. "Where's your jacket? It's freezing out, Rox," Axel prodded, moving closer to him.

"Don't call me that," Roxas spat. Feeling returned to his feet, allowing him to walk quickly past Axel and his car. He knew Sora and Riku were probably behind him on the steps to the front doors of school, but he didn't want to risk passing Axel again to get to them. No, he was on his own this time.

"Roxas, let me drive you home," Axel pushed harder, walking alongside Roxas.

"Axel, leave me alone," Roxas spoke heatedly. "If ignoring your calls and messages wasn't a big enough hint, then let me spell it out for you. Do not speak to me. Don't come find me," Roxas finally turned to him, immediately being reminded why he didn't look up at him in the first place. Axel was perfect. His green eyes pierced straight into your soul, and they had a beautiful way of showing you how much he cares without him having to say he does. His smile was something to die for, but fortunately he wasn't smiling. That would have been the last straw for Roxas.

"Roxas, you won't even give me a chance!" Axel stepped forward, desperately wanting to hold the blonde boy, but planting his arms at his sides. He wanted to talk to Roxas, not scare him away. Roxas stepped back, seeing Sora and Riku approach the two out of the corner of his eye. He silently begged for them to step in and whisk him away, but he knew that the two wanted this conversation to happen.

"I gave you a chance when I told you I loved you," Roxas spat. "You ruined that chance. There are no more to give, I won't be one of those people that gets cheated on and keeps crawling back for more. That's not me, I'm not _that_ pathetic," he fought, turning around once more before walking towards the sidewalk.

"I didn't fucking cheat on you!" Axel yelled, grabbing Roxas by the arm and spinning him around. He placed both hands on Roxas's forearms and refused to let go. "If you would just listen to me while I try to explain!"

"Get off of me," Roxas spoke easily, his eyes taking a darker shade to them. Axel's hands felt like fire on his arms, and he wanted nothing more than to remove them, and cuddle into them at the same time. He swallowed hard.

"Roxas, in the past I have fucked up and done stupid shit, but I would _never_ screw up that bad. You're the best thing to ever happen to me."

"I said, get off of me."

"Why would I ruin something with the one person that remains constant in my life?" Axel pleaded, digging his hands into Roxas's forearms slightly tighter. The pressure made Roxas reel back, ripping his arms away from the redheads, and slap Axel clear across the face. His hand stung, and he immediately knew how hard he had hit him. Axel's eyes snapped open, staring at the boy in front of him with disbelief. Never in the five years they knew each other had either of them lay a violent hand on the other.

"R-Roxas…" Axel swallowed hard, backing away from the boy slowly.

"…. I-I told you to get off of me," Roxas tried to reason, his excuse falling flat. His hands began to shake, and his right hand began to throb lightly from the cold impact of the slap.

"Y-You hit me…" Axel stuttered out, feeling hot tears form in the corners of his eyes. "How… How could you do that?" He managed to say before tears began to roll down his face. Roxas stared at his hand, seeing the red welts already appearing against the palm of his hand.

_I'm so sorry…_

"I-I have to go…"

"Roxas…" Roxas turned around, only to be confronted with Sora and Riku walking up to him, a shocked Axel behind them. He couldn't bring himself to look Axel in the eyes, and he didn't want Axel to see the tears that began to form.

"What was-" Sora tried to speak lightly, before being cut off.

"A-Are we walking home or not?" Roxas yelled, watching as the other boys visibly winced. "Fucking walk already."

"Yeah, we're walking, let's go…" Sora finished, nodding to Riku gently, speaking their silent language. Riku placed a quick kiss on the side of Sora's head, and rubbed his arm lightly.

"Let me know how it goes," Riku spoke gently, immediately making his way back over to Axel, who quickly fell into the silver-haired boys embrace.

"Rox-"

"W-What happened to me?" Roxas questioned, finally braving the stare into his brother's eyes. He let the tears finally fall, feeling his brothers grip around his arm tighten, as he leaned his head against his shoulder.

"I…" Sora paused. "I don't know, Rox…" he sighed gently, looking back to Riku and Axel one last time. "But we'll figure it out, okay?"

 


	3. Then There Were None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Suicide, purging, and self mutilation TRIGGER WARNING. If necessary, skip from 'The bathroom door flung open' to 'The last thing he heard was a scream.' **

"He fucking hit you?" Kairi jumped off of the couch, immediately reaching her hands to Axel's face to examine the damage. She could already see a large red welt forming on his cheek. Axel pushed her hands away, walking further into the living room, Riku behind him.

"Kai, it's not a big deal…" Axel spoke, a small stutter to his voice. "Just stop."

 

"Do _not_ tell me to stop. I have been dealing with this melodramatic bullshit for almost a week now. Neither of you have the right to tell me what, and what not to do. So no Axel, I will _not_ stop. Why the fuck in the world would you let him touch you like that?"

"Do you really think I let him do this? I did exactly what you told me to do. I showed up at school, and I tried to drive him home so I could talk to him. Forgive me for laying a single hand on him. I forgot I wasn't allowed to do that anymore!" Axel yelled, throwing himself onto the couch.

"Do you know how that feels?" Axel asked, looking up at his sister, eyes red from all of the crying he had done on the drive home. "Do you?"

"Know how what feels, Axel?" Kairi asked, annoyed, placing a hand on her forehead to rub her temples gently.

"Touching the boy you are so in love with, just to be slapped across the face for it?" He looked straight at her, no wavering or faltering in his glare. Kairi straightened up, placing her hand by her side, immediately softening her eyes. "I can't even _touch_ him anymore, Kai," he paused, swallowing hard in an attempt to stop more tears from falling. "I can't look at him, I can't talk to him," he allowed his eyes to trace the tiling of the hallway floor. "Am I even allowed to think about him anymore?" He allowed his eyes to stop one a single spot of dirt that managed to squeeze its way into the grout. "And you know what the worst part is?" He shifted his eyes up, catching a hint of redness in his sister's eyes, signs showing that she was near tears as well. "The worst part is that I have been one hundred percent faithful to him, for the entirety of our relationship. One hundred percent. And there's nothing I can do or say to make him believe that," he finished, standing up ready to walk into the hallway to ascend the staircase. He felt a strong hand squeeze his forearm, immediately turning his head toward his sisters determined stare.

"I believe you, Axe…" Kairi puled his arm, bringing him closer to her body. "I see the way you two look at each other… You know how many people would kill to have love like that?" She smiled slightly, feeling Axel's arm slip away.

"What love?"

"Don't say that," Kairi snapped, letting her smile fall away.

"It's true though, Kai-"

"Okay I think we've all had enough," Riku spoke tiredly, eyes closed, as he massaged his temples. "If you think for a second that he doesn't love you, then you are so wrong," he reasoned. "If he didn't love you, this wouldn't hurt him so much," Riku paused, pushing his hand through his hair. "Now listen, I came to talk to you guys about maybe going easy on him."

"You're fucking joking, right?" Kairi spat, staring venomously into Riku's eyes.

"No Kairi, I'm not fucking joking. Both of you know that Roxas gets treated for high anxiety and depression, and I'm sure he's going through a lot of shit right now. He doesn't need you two flipping out because-"

"Because he _hit_ my _brother_?" Kairi yelled, eyes wide as she shook her head. "Riku, with everything that's happened today, I have to politely tell you, to shut the fuck up," she spoke. "He doesn't want our help. I get it, that he's going through a lot right now, but we've tried to help him. This entire week. He doesn't want it," she finished, walking towards the kitchen.

"Well if you're not going to help, then stay away," Riku exasperated.

Kairi paused in the doorway and turned her head slightly.

"Make me."

* * *

"Have you talked to him recently?" Demyx sighed, placing an organized stack of cd's into the column that housed the holiday themed music. He followed Roxas slowly, wheeling the small metal cart through the narrow aisles of the record store.

"I've had no reason to," he stated plainly, not bothering to look into his friend's eyes as he organized the messy shelves of extremely outdated music.

"You've had plenty of reasons," Demyx reasoned. "Why are you being so stubborn?" Demyx pleaded lightly, stopping his job to look up at his friend. He leaned against one shelf, crossing his arms lightly as he awaited a true explanation. He didn't want some half-baked excuse.

"Do you think this is easy?" Roxas asked, coldly, throwing the cd onto the shelf.

"I'm not saying this is easy, I'm just saying that maybe you can-"

"Fuck off, Dem," Roxas sighed out, not wanting to listen to another word the other had to say. "You don't know Dem. You don't know anything about what's going on with me right now, and you don't know anything about this. You're in your perfect little world of a relationship. Nothing's ever wrong with your relationship. It's always perfect this, perfect that," he choked. "How would you like it he cheated on you?" Roxas stared, ready to rip Demyx down to his own level. He waited for an answer, studying the shocked expression on Demyx's face. "You wouldn't like it at all. In fact, you'd be worse off than I am. You wouldn't be able to take it. You'd lose yourself, be a puddle of tears," Roxas threw the rest of the cd's onto the shelf, before dragging the cart to the next aisle. "But that won't happen, because your relationship is just so fucking perfect," Roxas spoke, anger lacing the words. He didn't bother to continue looking back at Demyx, he knew he had crossed the line; he didn't want to see his face.

Demyx stared forward, allowing his eyes to study his friend. He closed his mouth, shaking his head lightly back and forth as he followed him through the aisle.

This wasn't Roxas.

"I heard you hit him."

Roxas stopped pushing the cart through the aisle. "… What?" Roxas shot, before turning to Demyx.

"You heard me," Demyx stared straight forward, not faltering. "Everybody already knows about it. I can't believe you Rox. Here I am- no. Here we all are, trying to help you. And you go and lash out onto the one person who has _always_ been there for you? Do you know how much that hurts him?"

"You don't know anything Demyx, just shut the fuck up," he spat, dragging the cart along with him, trying to get away. "I didn't ask for you to be here. I don't need your help, you all should go fuck yourselves and leave me alone," Roxas fought, straight into Demyx's eyes.

"You don't mean that," Demyx shook his head lightly, his voice soft. "This isn't you Roxas," Demyx began walking away, back towards the stock room.

"You don't know what I'm going through!" Roxas yelled, echoing through the tiny store. He watched as Demyx stopped dead in his tracks, not even bothering to turn around.

"I didn't say I did," he sighed. "I merely said, you better watch yourself. Or you're going to be missing a lot more than just Axel." Finished, he walked into the stock room.

Roxas slammed his fist against the cart, the sound of metal rattling loudly through the small store, earning a gasp from the younger girl working behind the counter. He gaze her an icy cold stare before returning to his job.

The bell attached to the front door chimed, signaling a customer. Roxas didn't bother to move his head. If the person needed anything, then he would help. Until then, people just needed to leave him alone.

"H-He doesn't get another break for twenty mi-" the girl behind the counter stuttered before continuing. "N-No, it's fine. It's fine! R-Roxas, your shift's over!" Yuna stammered, before motioning to the front counter. Kairi perched herself on one of the two black bar stools in front of the register. The look in her eye matched that of Roxas's, causing his anger to multiply.

"Roxas, outside," she spat.

"Calm down, I need to get my stuff."

"Get outside, now," she seethed, turning her body towards the door, exiting just as fast as she came in. Roxas grunted, walking behind the counter to retrieve his jacket and bag before making his way out of the building. Upon opening the door, the icy air of fall hit him briskly, freezing his nose on impact. As the door shut behind him, he felt a pair of hands grab, and then throw him roughly against the red brick walls that held up the record store.

"Kairi, what the hell?" Roxas yelled, feeling the multiple blows that were given to him. He grabbed her hands gently, tossing her off with enough force to send her back a foot, but not enough to hurt her.

"What is your problem?" Kairi screamed. "Huh?" She stared at him, anger ridden in her eyes. "Fucking answer me!" She punched Roxas straight in the sternum, knocking the wind out of him immediately. Roxas gasped, hands on his chest as he attempted to catch his breath before pushing the redhead back one last time. This time, she landed on her butt.

"You fucking hit him? Who the hell do you think you are? Don't you _ever_ lay a hand on him again, or so help me god I will kill you," Kairi spat, screaming out her words louder than ever before. Roxas stared, immobilized by her voice.

"I didn't-" he gasped before being cut off.

"You what? You didn't mean to hit him?" She laughed, pushing herself up to standing. "Of course you didn't Roxas, of _course_ ," she wiped her pants off before continuing. "You know… You are really something Roxas. Just look at yourself. You've actually convinced yourself, that you're in the right. That everything you're doing is because you're hurting…" She mocked him, walking right in front of him. "You're a piece of shit. Hurting not just the one you love most, but the people around you equally. You have no right to ever lay a hand on anybody," she paused. "You have no right to hurt the people that want to see you succeed," Kairi backed away, shaking her head lightly.

"You have no right, to call yourself my friend," Kairi spoke gently, wiping the tears in her eye before they fell. "Who do you have left Roxas?" She asked, in a completely honest and caring tone. "Honestly," she paused. "Who do you have? You've scared everybody off that wants to see you get better," she hiked her purse onto her shoulder. "I know you're going through a lot other than Axel… But enough is enough, Rox. Until you pull whatever it is you're dealing with together…" She stopped, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "Don't call me."

* * *

The bathroom door flung open, the metal doorknob making a small dent in the plaster of the wall. A small chunk of white plaster fell to the ground and crumbled into tiny pieces, the crunching sound of shattered plaster making Roxas cringed as he stepped inside quickly. Closing the door to inspect the damage, he sighed and shut the door behind him. He placed the handle of vodka on the sink counter top and quickly turned the water on, placing his hands in the sink to splash some cold water on his face. The color, in the past hour, had slowly drained from his face. Drinking half a handle of alcohol probably didn't help, either. The frown that was now placed on his porcelain fixture slowly melted the life from his entire being, as he looked up to the mirror to notice the thin, sickly features of his body.

 

 

 

In the past week, Roxas has lost enough weight that his clothes have been baggier. His already tight jeans were now slightly loose around the waistline, which surprised him because he didn't even know he had any fat to lose. He rubbed his eyes, turning them red from irritation. He knew he shouldn't have drunk any alcohol on the anti-depressants that were currently prescribed to him, but he truly didn't care. A quarter way through the bottle, his vision began to blur, as well as his speech and movement. Halfway through the bottle, he felt incredibly dizzy, and sick to his stomach. He just wanted to get drunk enough that it put him to bed. He didn't want to deal with this day anymore.

In the silence of the house you could hear a pin drop. Sora would surely be out with Riku, and his mother wouldn't be home from work for a couple hours. He started straight through the mirror, into his own being before opening the sink cabinet and extracting a small razor blade. Breathing heavily, his blood pressure increased, causing his emotions to pour back into him at one hundred miles per hour. Life started moving in a freeze frame. Every time he blinked, the blade was an inch closer to the soft flesh on his arm. On the fourth blink, Roxas felt the cold metal press against his heated skin, causing a shivering reaction from the blonde haired boy. On the fifth blink, the metal was pushing into his skin, causing a turning feeling in Roxas's stomach to churn up the small amount of food that he had eaten. On the sixth blink, the blade had punctured his skin, blood dripping down his arm. Slowly, and calmly. By the seventh blink, there was a bleeding line at least two inches long. He closed his eyes, subconsciously slowing his breathing to a steady pace before grabbing the nearest towel and applying pressure to his arm. There was a sharp sting as the fibers of the towel touched his open sore. Roxas winced gently before steadying his breathing once more. Opening his cabinet, Roxas pulled out his mothers Ambien, annoyed that the mix of his anti-depressants and alcohol didn't already put him to sleep.

Popping the cap off and pouring the remaining five into his hand, he threw them into his mouth. He twisted off the cap of the vodka and took a large sip, allowing the pills to fall down his throat. Roxas stepped back, looking into the mirror, and began to cry. Time moved slowly, but quickly at the same time. As he stared at each imperfection in the mirror, the minutes flew by melting into the ground beneath him. He walked out of the bathroom, and into his own bedroom, not bothering to close the door. He sat on his bed, removing the towel, only to see small amounts of blood forming once more. Pressing it against his skin once more time, he allowed the tears to fall harder. His eyes became cloudy, a heavy feeling resting on his eyelids as his stomach felt as if it were being turned upside down and stabbed in several places.

This was the first time Roxas's brain finally told him what he was doing. He began crying harder, as he stood up and ran to the bathroom, knocking into walls and door frames. Kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet, he used his right hand to press into his mouth. Gagging, he ripped his hand from his mouth. The tears welled up bigger, and he choked multiple times. Sticking his hand further into his mouth, he felt himself gag and choke around his finger. Feeling a hot liquid coat his hand, he ripped his hand out before emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

The last thing he saw were five, white, half dissolved pills.

The last thing he heard was a scream.

* * *

"He screamed at you in the middle of the store?" Axel questioned, eyes widening at the blond mohawk in front of him. His hands were placed tightly around a hot cup of tea. He brought the cup to his mouth, taking a small sip, tasting the honey-doused mixture. He bit his lip gently, allowing a heavy sigh to escape through his nose.

"Scream is an understatement. He scared the piss out of little Yuna, and Kairi didn't help too much either," Demyx prodded to the redheaded girl, who shot an icy glare towards the blonde. He swallowed and laughed lightly, tapping his feet against the ground gently. The sun had gone down over an hour ago, and the temperature had dropped considerably, but the night air was a nice mix-up from the stuffy environment the house created. "It was a joke, Kairi," he offered, half-heartedly.

"And you," Axel turned his head to the left, allowing his eyes to lie upon his sister who was leaning against the support beam of the front porch. "You beat him up? Outside the store in public?" He questioned, honestly disappointed in her rash, and immature actions.

"Beating him up would imply that he had fought back. I kicked his ass, he fucking deserved it," Kairi scoffed, feeling both sets of eyes bore into her soul.

"You're no better than he is," Axel sighed, shaking his head back and forth before taking another small sip of his tea.

"Excuse me?" Kairi barked, causing her brother to look up at her quickly. "How dare you say that to me. I have been fighting for you since the beginning of this whole fucked up mess, and you have the _audacity_ to yell at me? Fuck you Axel," Kairi spat, storming into the house quickly, the front door slamming closed behind her.

Axel stared forward, off of the porch and into the street. The moonlight was beginning to glisten on the dark black asphalt of the street. Sighing, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, I know this is hard for both of you. I can't imagine what either of you are going through, but enough is enough…" Demyx spoke, feeling Axel's eyes bore into him. "He's beginning to have nobody… The only person he really has left on his side is Sora. Maybe Riku, but he's even beginning to test _his_ patience," he sighed, bumping his shoulders into his best friends. "This whole fight is just too dramatic, even for me," Demyx joked, and laughed upon seeing Axel's half smile. "We just have to figure out how to prove to him that you didn't cheat, simple," Demyx nodded, pleased with himself.

Axel swallowed. "Dem, all the evidence is stacked against me. People saw him follow me into the bathroom. And the thing about cheating is all it takes is for one person to say it happened. Even if Roxas believes me, which he doesn't, it's in the back of his mind."

" _Vanitas, back off."_

Axel shivered, closing his eyes tightly.

" _Hey, hey! What does that blonde bitch have that I don't?" Vanitas pressed his body against Axel's firmly, pushing him against the door. Axel felt a hard arousal press against his thigh before pushing the black haired boy away from him._

" _I said no. If you know what's good for you, I'd back the fuck off of me," Axel pushed past him, knocking him slightly off kilter. As the door opened, and the music and screaming from the party filtered back into the bedroom, Vanitas's smile was visible to the entirety of the partygoers._

Axel took a desperate sip of his tea, rocking slowly back and forth to try to keep warm.

"Axel, are you alright?" Demyx asked, turning his body towards his friends.

" _Hey, where have you been?" Axel felt a smooth hand grab his own before turning around quickly. He smiled, placing a soft kiss on Roxas's lips before speaking._

" _I just had to run to the bathroom, baby," he spoke, heart melting upon seeing Roxas's smile. He accepted his boyfriends embrace with open arms, and placed his own arms around the blonde's small body._

"I didn't do it!" Axel screamed, standing up quickly as the cup of tea shot out of his hands and shattered against the concrete.

"Axe, I didn't say you did…"

"He pressed his fucking dick up against me, but I pushed him away. I left the room immediately after that! I didn't touch him," Axel gasped, tears beginning to stroll down his face.

"Axel, stop!" Demyx yelled, stopping his best friends arms from flailing into him. Axel crashed into the blonde's chest, weeping loudly. "Shh… Axe- Hey, Axel relax… It's okay," Demyx rubbed his best friends back, sitting him back down gently onto the stoop. He sighed, seeing his breath in front of him. "It's getting cold Axe, let's get you inside."

"Axel!" Kairi screamed, running across the porch and over to the two boys. Demyx looked up, shaking his head lightly with a smile.

"Kairi, he's okay, he's just a little-"

"I don't care, Dem!" Kairi snapped, ripping her brother from Demyx's embrace. "Roxas is in the hospital, get in the car, now!" Kairi spoke sternly, meeting cold eyes with her brother. Breathing increasing, she immediately ran down the steps and into the driveway. She opened the door to the black Escalade that was parked at the bottom of the driveway, and buckled her seatbelt as fast as she could. Turning around, she spotted her brothers frantic hands attempting to buckle his seat belt. Her eyes were laced with fury as she sped out of the cul-de-sac, all the while praying to God that Roxas was oaky.

And when he was, she was going to kill him.


	4. Make a Deal with the Devil

* * *

 

"I'm sorry sir, but visiting hours are over. I can't let you into the waiting room. Only immediate family-"

"My boyfriend is back there, and I don't know what happened to him. You are going to fucking let me back there, or so help me god I will kill you!" Axel screamed, feeling two bodies hold his arms back before lunging at the doctor.

"Sir! We can't let- Sir, stand back!" Three nurses rushed into the hallway to aide the doctor. One of the nurses stood in front of the rampant redhead before speaking.

"Sir, I would be happy to answer any questions you have, but right now he is in the process of having his stomach pumped. We are not to let anybody into the emergency room."

"H-His stomach pumped? What the hell happened?" Axel yelled, his vision blurring as he threw Kairi and Demyx off of his body.

"What the hell is going on?" Sora spoke, walking into the waiting room towards the three friends. "Kairi, thank god, you got my text," he spoke quickly, standing in front of the nurse. "Ma'am, they're with me, they're family," he spoke quickly, grabbing Axel's hand gently, already beginning to pull him to the waiting room.

"I want no trouble back there. You raise your voice _once_ and you're out. All of you," the doctor spoke before walking away. Sora pulled the three of them down the hallway, leaving the hall empty.

"I don't know why he did it, but he had half a handle of vodka, his anti-depressant medication, and a couple of mom's Ambien," Sora sighed, leading the trio to the end of the hallway. "I found him in the bathroom covered in vomit. I guess he realized what he did and tried to throw some of them up, but the ones that were in his system put him to sleep," Sora spoke. "And he had a two inch gash in his right arm. They're keeping him overnight, and they're going to let him out tomorrow," Sora finished, looking back to the three friends before stopping. "Axe… A-Axe, it's going to be okay," he felt Axel's warm body press against his. He felt Axel's tears fall onto his cheeks, and he pushed away lightly to wipe at the redheads tears. "Hey, quit it," Sora paused. "They said that he is going to be fine," he spoke gently, his gaze shifting to Kairi and Demyx, color void from their usually vibrant faces.

"I-It's all my fault…" Kairi stuttered, snapping her face towards the emergency room door. "I-If I wouldn't have yelled at him, and said all of that s-stupid shit, this wouldn't have happened."

"I didn't think when I said those things to him," Demyx poked in, breathing heavily. Sora placed his hands over his face, and allowed them to wipe down the entirety of the length.

"Will you three shut up?" Sora spoke loudly, feeling the eyes of his three friends on him. "He's going to be fine," Sora paused, waiting for the three friends to stop the whimpering. "We may or may not be allowed to see him tonight; it depends on the condition after the pump. He might be too tired for all of the stress, but the doctor said he's _definitely_ coming home tomorrow. Now listen to me," Sora spoke sternly. "I don't care that you yelled at him, or that you're sorry. All he needs when he wakes up, is for everything to be normal," he spoke easily. "Now, this might sound mean, but he may not want to see any of you," Sora sighed. "I'm not saying that you should leave, but I am saying that it's Roxas… Don't be offended when he wakes up. He has a way of pissing people off," Sora smiled gently, seeing Kairi's eyes slam shut, tears falling lightly.

"I do believe I said to stop that," Sora took his thumb, and wiped away the falling tears from her eyes.

"What did I miss?" Riku spoke, carrying three little bags of Famous Amos cookies and three bags of chips. Axel and Kairi turned around, eyes red and puffy, noses running. Riku cringed, and laughed lightly, attempting to brighten their spirits. He turned to face Demyx, whose hands were now violently pressing against his eyes at an attempt to stop the tears.

"I uh, I guess I caught you at a bad time?" Riku laughed lightly, feeling the blood shot eyes of the four members in front of him.

"Thank you all for coming, they're all finished and he's in his room," Ayumi spoke, entering from the long hallway. She immediately walked over to the three friends and pulled them into a tight hug. "Now you all know how I feel when you're upset. So put all of your frowns in the trash, and place on a smile," she joked lightly, happy when Kairi's frown slowly began to leave. She let go; placing both of her arms on Axel's forearms, and rubbed gently. "Follow me, sweetie," she guided Axel towards the adjacent hallway, away from the other friends.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry. If we… If we wouldn't have been broken up, this wouldn't-"

"Axel, dear, please," Ayumi spoke, stopping in front of the large window that peered into Roxas's room. It was astonishing how she was able to hold it together. No matter what happened, she was always able to tackle the obstacle with a smile. She would only crack when she was alone, and when all was said and done. Of course, that's just what the rumor was. Nobody even knows if she has tear ducts, or a moral conscious for that matter.

"He's okay," she smiled, catching Axel's eyes finally. "Now listen to me carefully," she continued. "I know all about what happened between the two of you."

"Ayumi, I didn't do-"

"I know you didn't," she spoke quickly. "Sweetie, I see the way you look at him. Christ, if Sora and Roxas's father ever looked at me that way, he'd still be here," she smiled. For the first time that night, Axel smiled gently. Wiping his own tears away, he looked through the glass and watched Roxas's chest rise up and down. He desperately wanted to hold him, and run his fingers through his messy blonde hair. He pressed his forehead against the glass, and shivered from the coldness.

"How are you going to convince him?" Ayumi asked gently, looking back to see Kairi, Demyx, Sora, and Riku conversing back and forth, neutral expressions finally gracing all of their faces.

"I… I've tried everything, I have no clue Ayumi," he sighed, slowly admitting defeat, before feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"You were always one to need help," she smiled lightly. "Leave it to me, sweetie."

* * *

A small pinch found its way into the crook of his elbow, as he felt the thin needle being extracted from his skin. He winced lightly, allowing his eyes to flicker and adjust to the sterile white light. The bed that he was laying on seemed to have a mind of its own, elevating and tilting his body to an upright position. Having his body bent delivered a sore, almost empty feeling in his stomach. He cringed, and let out a soft groan.

He swallowed lightly, squeezing his eyes and mouth shut as the saliva made it's way down his entirely raw and sore windpipe. Opening his eyes fully, he noticed a nurse in the corner of the room, moving back and forth to different machines and charts.

"Oh good, you're awake," she smiled brightly, her long brown hair braided down the center of her back. "My name is Aerith, I'm your nurse. Do you remember what happened yesterday evening, Roxas?"

Roxas stared forward, eyes sewn together as he shook his head from side to side. He saw the nurse in front of him sigh, before walking over to the railing attached to his bed.

"Your brother found you passed out in the bathroom. You had a hazardous mix of alcohol, anti-depressants, and sleeping medication in your system that we had to forcibly remove. That's why you're cringing when your stomach moves," she paused, sighing lightly. "We had to pump your stomach. We fed a tube through your mouth and into your stomach. Your throat will be sore for a day or two, and your stomach will be as well. Try to eat foods and liquids that are light on your stomach. I suggest rice, or broiled chicken, and water," she smiled lightly. "Sounds awful, huh?" She raised the chart, and began writing, Roxas's eyes finally relaxing.

He began to remember the start of the night. He shook his head side to side, realizing how stupid he acted. He's been drunk on his anti-depressant medication before, but never with that much alcohol, _and_ Ambien in his system. He knew explaining to _everyone_ that he in fact did _not_ want to commit suicide was going to be difficult. He was just stupid. He wondered if they would even believe him at all.

"Your mother ran to the front desk to sign you out, she'll be back to take you home soon.  You will have to speak to a mental health counselor soon.  The counselor at your school has already been informed and is expecting you soon," the nurse smiled lightly, walking to the door. "And Roxas?" She spoke gently, waiting for the blonde boy to shift his gaze. "You have an amazing group of friends that care about you," she paused. "Almost brought the hospital down last night whenever they arrived. Weeping and screaming, it was quite the sight," she smiled, earning a small laugh from the blonde. He cringed immediately from the discomfort in his throat before re-opening his eyes.

"I don't want to see you here again, understood?" She smiled, winking lightly as she exited the room. He looked down at his body, noticing the blue hospital gown. His clothes were folded up right next to the bed on the stand. He looked down to the large bandage that covered his right arm, and he punched himself mentally for making such a stupid decision.  Apparently the cut wasn't deep enough for stitches. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time he had cut himself, but he hadn't done that in about three years. He sighed, shaking his head lightly from side to side.

"Sweetheart…" Ayumi sighed softly, walking over to the bed and placing her arms around Roxas's body lightly. "How are you feeling?" She asked genuinely, helping him stand.

"Just… Just turn around so I can change," he spoke softly. "And shut the door."

Ayumi laughed lightly, walking towards the front of the room to shut the door. She shut the blinds quickly, and waited with her back to her son. After two minutes passed, she finally spoke up. "Do you need help Roxas?"

"Absolutely not," he spoke, earning a small laugh from his mother. After another minute passed, he finally walked forward slowly. "Just take me home," he cringed, feeling the slight stabbing sensation in his stomach. He walked slowly, feeling his mothers arms wrap around his left arm, guiding him out of the room. Upon leaving the room, he turned left and quickly found himself in the waiting room of the hospital. He turned around slowly, watching the doctors and nurses quickly clear out his room and clean it to the sterile conditions that they were before he came. He sighed, scorning himself.

"Roxas…?" Axel spoke, standing up from the waiting room chair quickly.

Roxas's head snapped, finding his eyes meeting with the hypnotizing green eyes that made him feel like he was floating. "… What are you doing here?" Roxas asked bluntly, eyes wide.

"Axel stayed all night in the waiting room to make sure you were okay. Kairi, Demyx, and him came last night, but Axel decided he was going to stay," Ayumi added gently, watching her sons face morph away from anger. "Wasn't that _incredibly_ thoughtful?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay…" he paused, adjusting the shirt that was strewn across his torso. "I'm… I'm sorry if this makes you upset," Axel shoved his hands into his pockets, adverting his gaze towards the ground rather than the intoxicating eyes of his love.

"… I'm fine," Roxas replied gently, no venom laced into his words. Feeling a small nudge from his mother, he walked forward slowly, closer to Axel.

"T-Thank you…" he said gently, watching as Axel's face rose to match eye to eye. Roxas was rewarded a beautiful smile, which immediately caused him to blush and walk back to Ayumi.

"Axel, why don't you come home with us and help Roxas feel better?"

"M-Mom, n-"

"That's okay Ayumi," Axel said lightly, hating himself for turning down such a tempting offer. Roxas didn't want him there anyways. "I promised Kairi I'd be back. I'll talk to you soon," he finished, taking a step out of the room before turning around.

"Let me know if you need anything… Just say the word, Rox. It's done," he spoke, looking straight at Roxas smiling lightly before walking out of the hospital.

Ayumi looked down at her son briefly before being pulled slowly out the door.

"I don't want to hear a word from you," Roxas said dryly, almost expecting the inevitable cackle from his mother.

* * *

"Here you go, Rox," Riku smiled gently, handing a small steaming bowl of dinner to Roxas, who was propped upwards on the couch. He had a thin blanket over him, while the television mindlessly played another episode of _Drop Dead Diva._

"Thanks," he replied emotionlessly, before shaking his head and grabbing Riku's arm, stopping him from walking away. "Seriously, thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Roxas, you're my family," he smiled, sitting down on the coffee table lightly.

"Get your ass off of my coffee table, you ungrateful child," Ayumi piped up from the kitchen sweetly, earning a laugh from both twins.

"You know what I mean though… I've been…" he paused, stirring the concoction of broiled chicken and white rice with the metal fork. "I've been awful this week… And despite that, you guys pulled through," he smiled. "All of you. So… thank you."

"Okay sweetie, I think we've had enough telenovela-worthy drama to last us through the New Year," Ayumi spoke softly, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Sora, Riku, and even Roxas laughed lightly at her joke, Sora and Riku finding each other on the loveseat adjacent to the couch.

"I don't want to eat this, it makes me feel like a sick dog," Roxas spoke lightly, placing the fork harshly into the ceramic bowl.

"Get used to it, Rox. Mom made enough for three meals a day for the next week," Sora laughed lightly, watching Ayumi's smile mischievously curl at the corners. Roxas sighed, placing the bowl on the coffee table in front of him.

"I need to talk to you guys, and I need you to believe me," he spoke easily; watching as all three sets of eyes examined his expression. He sighed, shaking his head lightly back and forth. "What happened last night, _wasn't_ a suicide attempt," he spoke slowly, making sure that the three believed him whole-heartedly. "I promise, all three of you, that I just wanted to get really drunk and pass out, I didn't want to die…" He shifted on the couch, so that he was better facing the three others before continuing. "I was stupid, and I can promise you that I'll never do something like that again." Ayumi sniffled lightly on the other side of the couch, which surprised the other three in the room. She _never_ cried.

"I want to believe you, Roxas," she sighed, shaking her head from side to side. "I really do. Do you know how worried we all were?" She asked, turning her body to face Roxas. "Why did you do it? You could have talked to me, instead of turning to alcohol and medication, why did you do it?" She spoke softly, a small tear forming in the corner of her eye begging to fall down her porcelain face.

_I really fucked up._

"… Mom, I-I'm sorry, I won't do it again," he answered quickly, voice hitching with a few tears. In his seventeen years of living, he can't remember ever seeing his mother cry once. Not even when his father left. In fact, _he_ had taken that news harder than she did. "I… I don't have a reason mom, like I said, I was stupid," he paused, wiping at his tears gently. "But I _promise_ that it wasn't a suicide attempt… I won't do something stupid like this again," he pleaded, looking towards Sora and Riku who now had their gazes towards the ground.

"I was so worried," Ayumi spoke, the tear finally falling from her eye.

"Let me make it up to you, Mom, I'm sorry," he spoke quickly. "I'll do anything," he pleaded, watching a small smile grace her face.

"I'm so glad you said that Roxas," she smiled brightly, clapping her hands together, her face completely dry as if she hadn't cried. Roxas's mouth dropped, knowing that he in fact, had been played. Of course the three believed him, they had no reason not to.

"But since you offered so nicely to make it up to me, and because you are in deep, deep trouble for giving me gray hairs," she spoke sweetly, "you can make it up to me by talking to Axel," she paused. "Tomorrow."

 


	5. Operation: Bathroom Smut

* * *

"Can you believe they almost didn't let us in?" Kairi asked, sipping the now diluted ice coffee in front of her. "We got there right before he finished having his stomach pumped, and then he was sleeping," she spoke, a slight strain to her voice. This week had taken a toll not only on her mentally, but physically as well. Sleep was an unknown factor to the usually fiery redhead, and with the added stress of dealing with Axel every night, and making sure Roxas passes English, she truly couldn't take it anymore.

"I just never thought he would try something so…."

"Drastic?" Tidus finished for Selphie, earning a slow nod from the bubbly brunette.

"Sora and Riku told me that it wasn't a suicide attempt," Demyx spoke softly, for once, trying to keep the conversation to the small table surrounding them. "They said Rox just wanted to get really drunk and forget, and that the mix of medicines just really messed him up," he finished.

"If Roxas says it wasn't an attempt, then I believe him," Zexion spoke for the first time all day, downing the rest of his caramel macchiato.

"Suicide attempt, or not, we need to make sure nobody hears about this. Has anybody found out yet?" Demyx spoke, placing his hands on his forehead before sliding them through his dirty blonde hair.

"Not that I know of, and I'd like to keep it that way. He has enough shit on his plate to deal with, and knowing Ayumi, she'll make him go to school Monday," Kairi spoke, earning a muffled giggle from Selphie. She immediately piped down, noting the 'dead behind the eyes' expression that Kairi tossed her.

"This means, we have to just suck it up and deal with whatever he throws at us," Demyx sighed out.

"You're joking, right?" Tidus spoke, deadpan.

"No Tidus, I'm not joking. He's obviously crying out for help, but is too stubborn to admit it. We're his best friends, fuck the past and forget the shit he said to us. If Demyx and I can get over it, you certainly can," Kairi spoke sternly, burrowing a quarter-sized hole straight into Tidus's skull. She kept eye contact, waiting for a verbal agreement.

"Whatever." Tidus spoke. "I'll let you guys handle it."

"How _is_ Ayumi handling it?" Selphie spoke, easing the tension between the two short-circuited friends. Kairi sighed, fiddling mindlessly with the empty coffee cup in front of her.

"How she always handles things," she spoke easily. "With humor, and manipulation. No matter how much she was hurting," she coughed lightly, "she still greeted us with a smile on her face. Her and Axel were talking almost all night."

"Do you think she's on Axel's side?" Tidus spoke, trying his hardest to clear his mind and stay serious.

"There are no sides. There's right and there's wrong," Kairi paused. "Axel didn't cheat on him. Fuck what Vanitas is saying, and fuck the people that believe him," Tidus cowered into his seat before sighing.

"I heard Vanitas talking to Xigbar and Larxene yesterday at the mall," Tidus said, feeling Kairi's expression shift from death, to curious.

"What were they talking about?"

"He was telling them about how he's sorry for not stopping Axel from coming onto him at Xiggy's party. And how sorry he was for hooking up in his bathroom."

"I want to kill him."

"Kairi, are you sure Axel didn't do anything?" Tidus asked carefully in order to keep the redhead calm.

"I'm positive Tidus," she spoke calmly, surprising the entire table. "I… I was unsure at first too. But if Axel is one thing, he's honest," she let go of the empty coffee cup, sighing gently. "You see the way he looks at Roxas… He wouldn't even think of cheating."

"So what do we do then?" Zexion spoke, rubbing his fingertip around the edge of the glass slowly.

"Roxas is too damaged right now to believe that there is good in anything. If he hears that Vanitas is _still_ spreading these lies around, he'll go crazy. We have to prove nothing happened," Demyx spoke, taking a small sip from his water bottle. He wasn't allowed caffeine whenever him and Selphie were in the same room.

"Maybe we should shoot a little lower first…" Tidus said, wiping his mouth sloppily, the remnants from his hot chocolate disappearing.

"It would be a step up if we could even get Roxy to talk to Axel," Selphie said, half interrupted by the jarring sound of Kairi's ringtone. Kairi jumped slightly, quickly taking it out of her pocket to check the caller ID, when Ayumi's name blinked rapidly. She held her finger up, motioning to the group to hold on.

"Ayumi?" She asked, watching her friend's expressions. Ayumi almost never called any of them, but when she did, it was important.

"Hi sweetie, I'm going to bring Roxas over tonight to apologize to Axel," she spoke calmly, the soft sound of a television show playing in the background.

"How did you get him to agree to that?" Kairi smiled widely, swatting her hand in the direction of Demyx and Selphie who were trying to interject wildly.

"I don't understand how you all underestimate me. It hurts, truthfully," she spoke, dramatics dripping off of her every word.

"Ayumi, what if he doesn't want to see either of us? We didn't necessarily leave on good terms…"

"Sweetie, trust me. You just let me handle it."

"Seriously, how did you get him to agree to this?" Kairi questioned, still baffled by the mothers antics.

"I'll never tell. Spread the word. We're running out of time to fix this," she spoke smoothly. "Now get off of your phone, you're a product of your generation."

Kairi laughed fully, earning very confused expressions from the rest of her table. "You're unbelievable. Bye Ayumi," Kairi finished, hanging up her phone and placing it in her pocket.

"What was that about?" Demyx spoke, all eyes turning to Kairi impatiently.

"Ayumi has _everything_ under control on her end," Kairi smiled. "Don't ask me how, because I actually don't think I want to know. But we have to get started," Kairi paused. "Selphie, it's your job to find a loophole in this shit storm that Vanitas is causing. I don't care what you have to do, just fucking-"

"Already on it," Selphie smiled, nudging Tidus. "Of course though, I need a _dashing_ assistant," she giggled softly, wiggling her eyebrows at the party.

"Uh-uh, no. I'm not getting involved with this-"

"Fuck right you're not. You suck at interrogating. I just need something pretty to look at," Selphie swooned. "And I just really want to use walkie-talkies," Demyx laughed lightly.

"Zexion, I need you to-"

"Make sure Selphie and Tidus stay on track, and use whatever information they find _intelligently_ so we actually get somewhere? Got it," he replied, earning two scoffs from the odd couple in the group.

"Dem, it's up to you and me at all costs to get them together. Talking is the first step, but everything after that relies on us," Kairi spoke, earning a curt nod from Demyx.

"Operation Bathroom Smut is a GO!" Selphie screamed, punching her fist into the air, earning her several glares from the rest of the coffee shop inhabitants.

"No. No- Fuck you, and fuck your code names," Kairi placed her hands on forehead, closing her eyes and shaking her head. A small round of laughter erupted from the round table.

This will work. This _has_ to work.

* * *

"This is sick," Roxas spat, staring through the car window, eyes floating at the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. "Sick, and cruel."

"Roxas, you promised me," Ayumi spoke softly as she placed the car in park.

"I promised you that I would _talk_ to him, not spend time with him. You used me when I was weak, and you're still taking advantage of me," he fought.

"First, I didn't use you when you were weak. You're always weak when it comes to me. Second, you're going to see Kairi and patch things up with her as well," she spoke, clearly lying out of her ass, but not bothering to hide it.

"Please, you know both of us are already over whatever happened."

"You're right," she let go of the steering wheel and turned her body towards her son. "I'll get you to realize that he didn't cheat on you if it's the last thing I do."

Roxas turned his head, mouth dropping slightly. How could his mother, of all people, turn against him?

"You believe him too? What the f-"

"You're the only one who doesn't," she reasoned. "Now get the hell out of my car," she spoke, a beautiful smile plastered across her face. Roxas stared straight into her eyes, knowing there was no victory in sight with this battle. He unbuckled his seat belt, and opened the car door.

The passenger side window began to roll down, with his mothers voice echoing out of the car. "I'll be back around nine to pick you up, don't think you can walk home I'm locking you out," she smiled, driving away leaving no room for escape. He turned around, staring at the house that _should_ feel like home to him, before sighing and walking up to the front porch. Before he could even reach the porch, the door swung open to reveal a smiling redhead who looked all too eager to be seeing him.

"Roxas, come in," Kairi smiled, ushering him into the warmth of the hallway quickly. It was all too proper. Usually Roxas just opened the door and walked in. Usually, but not _recently._

Kairi led him into the living room, and immediately began to help him take off his coat. "I'm tired, not paraplegic. I can do it," Roxas attempted a joke, eyeing his best friend suspiciously.

"R-Right, sorry! I'll be right back," Kairi scurried off to the kitchen. Sighing, Roxas tossed his coat on the couch, before sitting down and trying to relax. Kairi came out a minute later with two cans of Coca-Cola.

"Um… Could you get me water? I'm not supposed to have that for a little bit longer…" Roxas spoke calmly, actually feeling bad at how awkward she must feel.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry!" Kairi spoke, stuttering as she quickly ran into the kitchen, only to emerge seconds later with a bottle of water. She handed it to Roxas, and smiled lightly as she was greeted with a small 'thanks.'

She sat down at the other end of the couch and focused on her breathing. She didn't even know where to begin, but luckily Roxas helped her with that.

"I'm sorry."

"It's in the past," Kairi spoke immediately, a bright smile on her face that seemed to appear instantaneously.

"No… It's in the present, Kai. I can't believe what I've been doing to you guys," he paused. "I'm honestly surprised none of you hate me."

"We could never hate you Roxas," Kairi spoke smoothly. "Well, Tidus may still be mad, but he's-"

"He's a twat," they spoke at the same time. Laughing lightly, Kairi moved closer to her best friend and gently placed her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry Roxas," Kairi squeezed tightly. "I've never given up on you, but this week… Something in me just snapped. And, I promise it won't happen again," she smiled, releasing Roxas from his hug.

"Honestly, I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes, Kai. You don't need to apologize," he smiled lightly, taking a thankful sip of water.

"Ugh, can we stop talking about this super sappy shit?" Kairi laughed, earning a unanimous nod from her best friend. "Let's talk about our English project," she smiled.

"Kairi, you're ruining the moment," Roxas said with a small laugh.

"No, seriously!" She laughed. "We were assigned _Romeo and Juliet_ , and I think we should re-tell it like they did in _West Side Story,_ but in a completely new way," she paused. "And by that I mean I already did the work, all you have to do is show up. I know you've been stressed, so I wanted to make sure-"

"Kai…"

"I'm sorry, I'll stop-"

"I love you," Roxas smiled, nodding lightly. "Thank you for doing all the work," he paused, earning a grateful smile from his best friend. "Now let's see what you did."

"Kairi, you said you needed me to come home, what's the emergency?" Axel sighed, walking into the entryway of the living room. "Roxas?" Axel spoke shortly. It was clear that he had no idea Roxas was supposed to be here, and by the mischievous smile that was plastered onto his best friends face, he knew that he had walked clear into a trap.

"Damn it, I forgot to call Selphie, she's going to kill me," Kairi spoke, tossing her notebook and pencil onto the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Kairi…" Roxas whispered, face flushing as he slowly stood up from the couch.

"Oh, it'll just take a minute. Stay here and read my notes, I'll be right back," she smiled, placing her hands delicately on Roxas's shoulders, pushing him lightly back to the couch. Roxas watched her walk through the swinging doors leading into the kitchen and sighed lightly. He focused on breathing, and immediately knew that Kairi had another ulterior motive, and he would bet that his mother had something to do with it.

"Hey you," Axel spoke smoothly, almost quiet, standing still in the threshold of the living room. There was an absence of anger within Roxas's core, what was there was filled with pure desire and need. He stared forward, eyes on the notebook that Kairi had quickly placed on the table before choreographically exiting the room.

"How are you feeling?" Axel smiled gently, kicking his shoes off and placing them neatly near the doorframe, never releasing eye contact from Roxas. Stealing glances, Roxas found himself slipping further into discomfort.

"I'm fine," he replied shortly.

"Fine isn't good enough. Can I get you anything? I know you have to be easy on your stomach, I can make you soup if you're hungry? Or do you need more water?" Axel began quickly taking his coat off, abandoning his backpack in order to completely drop everything to help Roxas.

"No, I'm fine," Roxas spoke quickly, but not sternly. He let his eyes rise to meet Axel's, who immediately stood still, and placed a small smile on his face.

"Well… Just don't hesitate to ask. Whatever you need, I can get it for-"

"I'm sorry."

* * *

"What's happening?" Selphie screamed into the phone, impatiently awaiting Kairi's answer. Kairi pressed herself against the door that separated the living room and the kitchen, trying to make as little noise as possible so that she could listen in on the others conversation. She moved to the opposite side of the kitchen before speaking.

"Kairi!"

"Shut the fuck up," Kairi whispered. "They're talking right now."

"What are they saying?" Selphie pressed. "Kairi!"

"I'm not going to listen in on them. Axel will tell me everything later," she sighed, knowing she would be getting a solid earful from both Selphie, _and_ Roxas. "My job is done for now."

"How can so much evil be packed into such a small frame?" Selphie spoke, the smile evident in her tone.

"Shut it _Nancy Drew_ ," Kairi spoke quickly. "What have you found?" She asked, earning a small scoff on the other end of the phone.

"Nothing! Can you believe it? His record is actually clean. He's never even had detention," she scoffed.

"So he's just a normal asshole?"

"It would appear so, Master," Selphie spoke sagely.

"No…" Kairi paused. "No there _has_ to be something we can use," Kairi paced the kitchen, the cold tile chilling the bottom of her feet.

"I'll keep looking Kai, but I don't know-"

"Who is he friends with?"

"Well, he used to date Ventus. They're civil now, but I don't know how much I'll be able to get out of him. But then there's Xigbar, and Aqua. I don't know why Aqua is friends with him, because she's actually harmless, and kind at times," Selphie reasoned. "Oh! And he's basically bff's with that twatress Larxene. I won't even try to get information out of her," Selphie choked.

"That bitch…" Kairi whispered, craning her neck towards the door to listen briefly.

"I'll fill Zexy in and see if he's found anything. But maybe I can try to get something out of Ventus… That's our best bet now. I'm sure he still has hard feelings about the breakup," Selphie spoke.

"Just try to be as cool, and nice, as possible," Kairi cooed.

"Kairi, do you know who you're talking to?" Selphie spoke, mock offended.

"Yeah. That's why I fucking said it."

* * *

"You have… _Nothing_ to apologize for Roxas," Axel spoke, trying to keep his body in place instead of moving closer to Roxas.

"Do you hear yourself Axel?" Roxas spat, finally raising his head high enough to maintain a solid eye contact. "I _hit_ you. And you're telling me I have nothing to apologize for?"

"I cornered you at school Roxas," Axel sighed. "Yeah, I was surprised and hurt at first, but looking back on it, I was pushing you too hard."

"You weren't pushing hard, Axel. I just… I just needed time to adjust," Roxas spoke softly, allowing his body to relax. He swallowed hard, cringing lightly from the light soreness that still plagued his throat.

Axel slowly moved over to the couch, allowing himself to finally sit on the opposite end. He desperately wanted to move closer, but he didn't dare test his luck.

"Adjust…?" Axel questioned, unsure of what exactly Roxas was referring to.

"Um… To um, everything?" He paused. "Us, not being together…" Roxas stuttered, eyes shifting to his hands that were fumbling together in distracting movements. Axel sighed, and moved a little bit closer towards the middle of the couch and smiled lightly.

"I just want everything back to normal, Rox. I miss you," Axel smiled, looking down at Roxas's hands. "I miss us."

"Axel…" Roxas warned. "I'm sorry for what I did, but… That doesn't mean I forgive you."

* * *

"We have almost two weeks till Winter Formal. Do you think that we'll have enough time?" Kairi asked, not entirely sure if they'd be able to get enough information to even _try_ to solve this mess.

"I'm not dedicating any time to finals, so yes. Plenty," Selphie spoke, reassuringly. Kairi laughed lightly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're the best, Selph," Kairi smiled, walking closer to the living room entrance.

"I know," Selphie cackled, and hung up the phone abruptly. Kairi shook her head, and placed her phone on the kitchen counter, allowing the smile on her face to follow her back into the living room.

"Roxas, why won't you just listen to me?" Axel choked, visibly holding back tears. Kairi stared across the living room towards the front hallway, watching Roxas slip his shoes and coat back on.

"I came here to apologize to the two of you. I didn't come here to mend our relationship Axel," Roxas said quickly. "I need to move on, and so do you. It's hurting both of us, and I'm sorry Axel, but it's toxic," he spoke, seeming unsure of the words that came out of his mouth.

"Roxas please don't leave. Let's all sit down and talk about this," Kairi offered, stepping further into the living room.

"Kai, I'm sorry, but we can talk over the phone about this project, and we'll be fine. I have your notebook in my backpack; I'll go over it tonight. I'm sorry, but I have to go," he spoke quickly, opening the front door allowing the cold air to beat him across the face. He began the short walk back to his house, hoping and praying that his bedroom door window was still unlocked.

 

 


	6. Psychology 1-0-None

**To:** Axel

_I wanted to apologize for the way I handled everything the other night. Before I get in front of you, I know exactly what I want to say, and the minute you're there, I just freeze. I realize how I've been handling this situation is completely unfair to you, and I know you desperately want me to hear you out, but I just can't. I've heard enough, and before I break down further than I already am, I need you to realize that it needs to stop. It's so hard to be in the same room with you because I just want to hold you. But I also want to scream at you till I lose my voice, because I can't stop thinking about what you did to me, and then I start thinking about the rest of our relationship, and then I start wondering if our entire relationship was a lie, and what else you lied to me about. And then I start wondering if you even loved me, and then before I know it, I'm screaming at you about how I don't want to hear your excuses, and how I won't talk to you, and I am sorry, Axel. I really am, but I need some time to calm down. You say that you didn't cheat on me, but every fiber of my being can't accept that answer. I've tried to tell myself countless times this week that you're telling the truth, and that it's just a rumor, but I cannot let myself believe that. My mind is running with all these thoughts and I am scaring the shit out of myself. I need to you to promise me that we're going to try to move on from this, because it's ripping me up inside not being able to be near you. I want to be able to talk to you, or hang out with you one day, but I just don't know when that day will come. I'm really sorry that I can't say this to your face, and that you have to read this, but my mind runs so fast, and I freak myself out and break down when I'm in front of you, and this is the only way to get it out. I will listen to whatever you have to say back, and I will try to understand it, but I can't promise you anything Axel. I'll try my hardest, but I'm just not in a place right now to see you._

* * *

"We decided to set _Romeo and Juliet_ in 1929 Berlin, four years before the start of the Holocaust," Kairi stated effortlessly, earning the attention from her entire class. It wasn't entirely hard to grasp their attention, because almost every project of the day had been a complete flop and waste of time.

"I'm sure we all know the plot to _Romeo and Juliet,_ basically because we were required to read it, but if you happened to have 'forgot,'" Kairi emphasized the word with air quotes, earning a few snickers from her classmates. "It is a story about star-crossed lovers in an environment that was set against them from the start. Two families that couldn't have been more different, and the differences which end up killing their son, and daughter," she spoke. She nudged Roxas gently, motioning for him to continue.

"Um, yeah," he paused. "Many people have decided to take this basic plot structure, and re-create it and re-tell it in more modern times, like in the musical _West Side Story_ ," he said.

"Isn't that the one about AIDS?" Rikku asked loudly, raising her hand and swinging it in the air.

"No, it is the American Broadway classic about the harsh struggle of immigration, and two opposing gangs of New York City that stop star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria from truly being together, educate yourself," Kairi said quickly, earning a round of laughter from the class.

"Anyway…" Roxas continued after the laughter died down. He caught Professor Xemnas's stare and decided that his reaction was intrigued, making him smile only slightly. "We decided to do our own sort of re-telling, like Kairi said. Set in the pre-holocaust era in Berlin Germany, just when the Nazi's were beginning to rise in power," he nodded; pleased that he was able to talk to the class without showing he didn't do any of the work. Kairi smiled, placing a trifold poster board onto the front desk and opening it up quickly. The board revealed pictures of costumes, and architecture, splattered with glitter glue and bubble letters galore. The poster did nothing to match the tone of the presentation they were giving, but throw glitter and bubble letters at any non-honors class, and you're off of the shit-list for at least two weeks.

"First, we have the Capulet's and their daughter Juliet. The Capulet's were a wealthy Jewish family. Juliet's father, a doctor in the heart of Berlin. In Germany in 1929, the Jewish population was split pretty much down the middle, with rich, and poor families scattered across," Kairi spoke easily.

Roxas sighed lightly, watching his classmate's eyes dance across the poster board. He could tell that they were all listening intently, simply happy that someone's project was finally interesting. He listened to Kairi explain the background of Germany, and the conflict with Romeo being German born, and being recruited for Nazi youth.

"Running away together wasn't entirely an option, because of the boundaries set in Berlin during the time. They both decided to go into hiding together, but like in the original play, there was a mix-up with their letter, the plan, and the sleeping medication, and thus the famous poison scene," Kairi finished happily, earning a small round of applause from their classmates and the professor.

"I just don't get how somebody can fail at poisoning themselves," Larxene prodded loudly, looking Kairi straight in the eyes.

"Well, you see-" Kairi began easily, before being interrupted by Vanitas.

"Apparently it happens," he shrugged. "Roxas knows all about that though. How many Ambien does it take to put you to sleep for good, huh?"

Roxas eyes widened, and he immediately felt Kairi's hand on his wrist. He shook her off, his body enflaming and throat closing. His breathing quickened, and he immediately felt warm, looking around the classroom at his classmate's puzzled looks.

"Or does that only happen when you mix that with alcohol and anti-depressants?" Larxene laughed, blowing a lock of hair away from her face.

"That's enough you two-" Professor Xemnas stepped in, placing a gentle hand on both Kairi and Roxas's shoulders.

"W-What have I ever done to you?!" Roxas stuttered, staring the two down while his body shook lightly. Tears dotted the corners of his eyes, and he swallowed hard.

"You've done plenty to me," Vanitas spat, standing up out of his chair quickly, Larxene's hand bolting to keep him sitting.

"Vanitas! Larxene!" Xemnas stated loudly, motioning for Roxas and Kairi to exit the room.

"He isn't worth it Van. Natural selection," she scoffed, pulling Vanitas down to his seat.

"I said that's enough!" Professor Xemnas shouted, slamming his hand against his desk startling the entire classroom. "Both of you to the office," he spat. "Now."

The bell overhead rang, signaling the end of the English period. Kairi closed the poster board quickly, laying it flat on the table and immediately running over to Roxas.

"Roxas, you're going to be okay. Just breathe," she said lightly, rubbing reassuring circles on his arms. She watched as the blonde took deep breaths.

"I don't know how they found out, but the rest of the class didn't seem to know what they were talking about. It's going to be okay, just breathe," Kairi said, grabbing the bottle of water that was in her backpack.

Roxas shook his head side to side, small white and black dots lining his vision as he accepted shaky breaths. He grabbed the bottle of water that Kairi had handed to him, and greedily drank the entire thing.

"Roxas, may I have a word with you?" Xemnas stepped in, his overbearing presence doing little to calm the nerves in the blonde haired boy. "I assure you that an outburst of that nature will not happen in my class again," he spoke easily, leaning against the desk in the front of the class.

"Professor-"

"Kairi I'd like to speak with Roxas alone," Xemnas said quickly, eyeing the redhead until she gathered her things and began to walk out of the classroom. She looked back hesitantly, and sighed lightly.

"I'll call you, Rox. It's okay. I promise," she placed a smile on her face, ignoring the impatient expression Xemnas was casting her. Roxas nodded gently, squeezing the plastic water bottle, creating a soft crunching noise that seemed to echo throughout the classroom.

"I don't want to make a big deal out of what happened this weekend-"

"How do you even know?" Roxas gasped gently, his voice slightly wavering.

"Is that really the point here?" Xemnas asked, crossing his arms lightly. He sighed, taking off his glasses to rub his temples. "Roxas, the agreement was that you would speak to the mental health counselor that we have-"

"I'm not crazy!" Roxas yelled. "I didn't try to kill myself, I made a stupid mistake, so everyone needs to stop blowing it out of proportion!"

"I didn't say what you did or didn't do," Xemnas spoke sternly, watching as Roxas's expression melted. "I am only saying that we think it would be smart if you talked to somebody about this that you feel wouldn't judge you. Somebody that isn't a close friend or a relative. You're seventeen years old, and in high school to top it off. Every one of you should be talking to a professional regularly," Xemnas attempted a joke. "You're going through a lot right now, Roxas, it's easy to tell. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I know, but I am in a position of power, and I will use the resources I have available to me. You are going to meet with the counselor for one meeting," Xemnas paused, slipping his glasses back onto his face. "If you don't like it, at least you tried."

Roxas released a shaky breath he didn't even know he was holding, and hiked his backpack further onto his shoulder. Nodding weakly, he cringed when a strong hand clamped down on his arm. He slowly let his eyes meet his professors, and swallowed hard.

"Deal?" Xemnas asked, one eyebrow raised as if saying he truly had no choice.

"… Deal."

* * *

"Ventus!" Selphie yelled through the overly packed hallway, earning more than Ventus's attention. She smiled and waved her hands frantically, motioning for him to stay in place. She laughed, pushing a few people out of the way until she reached the end of the hallway, and the incredibly confused blonde boy at the end of it. "I'm _so_ glad I ran into you," she laughed, placing her hands on his shoulders as if they were best friends.

"Can I help you?" Ventus questioned uneasily, obviously confused by the energy the brunette was emitting.

"Oh my god thank you for asking, yes. You can," she linked an arm through his and began slowly walking in the direction of the cafeteria. "I just have a couple questions for you, and it would be just super duper helpful if you don't resist."

"U-Um, sure?" He answered, hiding an unsure smile on his face. He allowed a small laugh to escape his mouth as they slowly rounded the main hallway, and into the cafeteria.

"Great. So Vanitas. Tell me about him," Selphie smiled, and then winced. "Wait, that isn't a question," she laughed. "Whatever, tell me about him."

"He's, um, nice?" Ventus spoke, eyes traveling around the room frantically. Selphie hadn't lessened the grip on the linked arms, and it was clear that Ventus was beginning to get uncomfortable.

"That's not what I heard. Was he a good boyfriend?" Selphie paused. "Was he controlling? I heard he could be _quite_ controlling."

"U-Um… Can I ask you a question first?" Ventus asked gently, slowly removing his arm from her grip.

"Oh my god of course you can. Where are my manners?" Selphie smiled, stopping suddenly in the middle of the cafeteria.

"What's your name again?" Ventus asked gently, wincing at the 'head-exploding' reaction that was now appearing out of the brunette's head.

"Fucking hell, I can't. I can't," Selphie whispered, shaking her head back and forth before exhaling heavily and placing an even _sweeter_ smile on her face. "I'm Selphie, I'm sure you've heard of me, but that's not important," she smiled, pulling him into the lunch line, hiding the clear embarrassment on her face.

"Oh, yeah.  You're friends with-"

"Back on track," they stopped in line, Selphie's smile never faltering. "I'm doing a case study for my psychology class about relationships. I've already interviewed two ex-couples, and I wanted you to be my third. Nobody is going to see the interview but my teacher and me. You have my trust," she smiled.

"We have a psychology class?"

"First question!" Selphie laughed forcefully, dragging him forward towards the disgusting chicken patties and rectangular pizza. "How was he as a boyfriend? Don't hold back. Tell me _everything_ ," Selphie pulled her phone out, turning the voice memo on. "You don't mind if I record this right? I'll delete it right after I type it out," she smiled.

"Sure… That's fine," Ventus laughed lightly, grabbing a tray and placing it on the metal table in front of them. "Vanitas was a good boyfriend in his own way. We had our problems, but at the root of it, it just wasn't meant to be. We both knew how to push each others buttons a _little_ too hard, and it just was doomed from the start," Ventus grabbed a piece of pizza and a small side of fries and placed it on his tray, moving closer to the register. There was a small amount of hesitance that accompanied his final statement, and that small amount was all Selphie needed. "He was an incredible boyfriend to me at times, but he was also an incredibly boyfriend to another person at the same time…" Ventus sighed, handing a five-dollar bill to the lunch lady.

"Ventus, if you-"

"You can call me Ven, you know. All my friends do," he smiled lightly, studying her expression.

"Ven it is," she smiled, pocketing her change and moving quickly through the labyrinth of lunch tables. Picking a table slightly off the grid, she sat down and set her phone on the table. "If you don't mind me asking… Who was the other person?" Selphie prodded, not entirely sure if he would comply and open up.

"It's fine, practically everyone knows," he sighed. "His name is Terra, he's already graduated," Ven took a slight pause, biting his lower lip gently. "Are you sure nobody else will see this but you and your teacher?" He asked, skeptically.

"Ven, I…" Selphie paused, suddenly feeling guilty for the entire setup. "Ven, I promise nobody will hear this," she reached towards her phone and immediately turned it off. She tapped her head lightly and gave him a small smile. "My ears only."

Ven smiled lightly before taking a small bite from his pizza. He chewed quickly and swallowed, holding a hand in front of his mouth while he began to talk. "Vanitas started acting strange around the last month of our relationship. Which turned out, had nothing to do with me, or his feelings for me," he explained. "It was with Terra. But Terra started developing feelings for Roxas while Vanitas and him were hooking up. He works at the diner that Kairi works at, and he would constantly see Roxas there. I guess they became friends. When Vanitas found out, it broke his heart," he finished.

"But that isn't Roxas's fault… Roxas wouldn't give Terra the time of day."

"Try telling that to Vanitas," Ven swallowed. "It's fine though. I have nothing against him. Everyone makes mistakes, it happens," he concluded, taking a sip from the water bottle in front of him.

"You don't deserve that, Ven," Selphie practically whispered.

"Deserve what?"

"You're validating what he did," she paused, gauging the others reaction. "Ven, nobody deserves to be cheated on. No 'if's, and's or but's.'"

"Well, he wasn't happy with me," Ven spoke smoothly.

"Then he should have ended things with you before moving onto Terra, silly. He shouldn't have hurt you so much. I know I don't know you that well, but where is your backbone? You seem like an incredible guy who deserves the same!" Selphie smiled, absentmindedly putting Ventus's problems before the single slice of pizza in front of her.

"He wasn't a horrible boyfriend, Selphie…"

"Really? Or have you managed to finally believe the lie you've been telling yourself?" She asked smoothly. She could tell that he felt uncomfortable. It was as if someone finally gave him permission to speak his feelings, instead of lie about them to protect not only himself, but also Vanitas's image.

"He was horrid…" Ven whispered. He raised his eyes to look into Selphie's and sighed. "He was so bloodthirsty for revenge on Roxas, and he always has been since Terra started flirting with him. Roxas was totally oblivious to the entire thing though. But that's why Vanitas doesn't like him. He truly believes that Roxas was trying to get Terra to be with him. So Vanitas went to the next best thing and aimed to tear it down."

"Axel?"

"Axel," he sighed, pushing his tray slightly away from himself. "It's so disgustingly dramatic and insane, but I don't think he meant for it to go this far… He has some issues he needs to work out, I know, but…"

"Ven-"

"Selphie, I know we don't have a psychology class, and I'm pretty sure that you're good friends with Roxas and Axel. That's why I'm telling you this. I trust you, as scary as that sounds within minutes of meeting you, but I do. And I want to help," he paused, a small smile forming on his face. "Seeing Roxas and Axel together was something I strived for. I always wished our relationship were that great, and now that theirs is broken… I hate that Vanitas did that."

"Wait, go back. You want to help?"

"Whatever I can do to help you bring Roxas and Axel back together. That… That would break Vanitas, and maybe it would help him realize that he has some issues to work out."

"Okay let me get this straight. So. You dated Vanitas, and he cheated on you with Terra. And Terra tried to cheat on him with Roxas. So Vanitas tried to cheat on both you _and_ Terra with Axel, to hurt Roxas?" She asked, earning a small nod. "Jesus, can't you all keep it in your pants?"


	7. The 'Best Friend Card'

* * *

 

"Guys, don't you think this is getting a little carried away?" Aqua sighed lightly, allowing her gaze to settle on the large computer screen that Vanitas and Larxene were occupying with various snickers and slurs.

"Carried away? Aqua, it's pointless fun," Vanitas scoffed, dragging the computer mouse into various applications.

"Fucking hell, that's hilarious," Larxene laughed, scrunching her nose up while letting out a thunderous cackle. She hit Vanitas's shoulder and pointed to the screen. "Use this one!"

"He almost _died_ Van, pointless fun has passed," Aqua reasoned, cringing at the makeshift video the two were diabolically putting together. The idea was all Larxene and Vanitas; Aqua had nothing to do with it. This was borderline assault.

"He's a fucking coward, Aqua. He can try to escape all he wants, but I won't rest till he's sobbing in a corner," Vanitas reared his teeth with a chilling laugh, eyes blazing at the plethora of images and videos that were sure to embarrass the blonde haired boy.

"He was sobbing in the corner when you ruined his relationship. You're just being an asshole now," Aqua spat. "Whatever, Van. I don't want any part of this, I don't want to see it happening, I don't want to know it's happening," she sighed, lifting her backpack onto her right shoulder. Pushing her chair in, she turned around quickly, making large strides towards the door to the hallway.

"Too late _sweetie_ , there's no backing out now," Larxene stood, words stopping Aqua in her tracks. Aqua turned to her, anger ridden in the crease of her brow.

"You can't go through with this. It's ridiculous, and borderline assault. Honestly, its only time before he finds out that you're making all of this up anyway."

"It doesn't matter if he finds out, Aqua," Van paused, turning around in his chair. "He's already in pain. He's never going to be able to fully trust Axel again. Now it's time to just kick back, watch the finale unfold, and enjoy," he smiled, standing up, and walked over to his blue-haired friend.

"Exactly," Aqua exasperated. "Kick back and enjoy for ruining his year. Don't make a fucking movie about how he failed at killing himself, fucking Christ Vanitas," Aqua scoffed, throwing her backpack into the chair to the left. "You're fucked up, Van. He did _nothing_ to you."

"He did everything to me Aqua," Van grabbed her arm, clenching his fingers tightly around it. "If it wasn't for him, I'd still be with Terra. But no, that fucking slut had to steal him, making me second best." He let go of Aqua's arm, throwing it slightly as he stomped back to the computer. Larxene scoffed, and followed her leader, sitting to his right.

"Like how you made Ventus second best?" She questioned, earning a shocked look from both Vanitas and Larxene.  "And last time I checked, Roxas didn't want Terra."

"That's not the same, and you know it," Vanitas pressed, waving Aqua off.

"Right, of course, I'm so wrong," Aqua spoke. "Ven was just head over heels for you, and wanted to give his life to you. I'm sorry Vanitas, you're so right, that's not the same at all."

"Aqua, let me remind you of something," Vanitas spoke condescendingly. "You were the one who convinced me to give that thing a chance. I didn't want to be with him, and you know that," Van fired, Larxene silently nodding.

"Sometimes I wonder how you don't hate yourself…" Aqua whispered, trailing off. Sometimes, Aqua wondered how she didn't hate _herself._ Ventus and her had been best friends since they could remember. Growing up on this island wasn't easy, and they were genuinely lucky they found each other at such a young age. They relied on each other for practically everything, until middle school, where they met Vanitas and Larxene. Back then neither of them were cold-blooded. It's no wonder Ventus fell for him.

Ventus would talk to Aqua on the phone till all hours of the morning, begging and crying for her to find out if Vanitas even liked boys. Of course, Aqua already knew Vanitas did, and even more specifically… Aqua knew Ventus didn't stand a chance.

She shook her head lightly, silently wishing she had had the courage to tell him straight to his face, so they could have avoided this entire debacle. But with Ventus, Aqua could never say no. She eventually got Vanitas to agree to date Ventus, hoping that either Ventus's feelings would go away, or Vanitas would actually start liking him back. Unfortunately for her, neither of those things happened. Vanitas had become more… _Sour_ , over the years. She had hoped that would help Ventus's feelings disappear. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"Are you going to help, or not?" Larxene prodded, breaking Aqua out of her trance.

"With what?" Aqua questioned, cringing at the violent look Larxene threw at her.

"Winter Formal, for fucks sake," she spat, turning back to Vanitas and the computer.

"No, Larxene, I won't," Aqua decided, a warm feeling encompassing her stomach and chest. "Van you can't do this," Aqua paused. "You've ruined his life, don't ruin it anymore," she reasoned. "And who even knows if he's going to formal?"

"Oh he'll be there. And I can't wait to see his face when we show this video in front of the entire school," Van laughed, hand moving the mouse sharply, making edits, and adding lewd text to the video.

"I won't have my name anywhere near this. You have your fun, but I'm going to bow out of this one."

"Aqua," Larxene spoke, an annoyed tone to her voice. She turned her chair around and smiled condescendingly. "You're way too uptight for your own good. Loosen up, prude."

"I said I don't want any part of this."

"Then fuck off," Vanitas spat, not tearing his head away from the computer screen for even a second.

"Fine, but I hope for your sake you're not caught," Aqua said lightly, grabbing her backpack, walking quickly towards the door. She stopped just before exiting and turned around, both 'friends' engrossed in their latest conquest of writing the words 'filthy cum-slut' across a picture of Roxas and Axel kissing. There was no way she could let them do this, but there was no easy way to stop them either.

Aqua stormed into the hallway, making a beeline for her locker. If there was no way she could stop them, then maybe there was someone that could. She didn't want to have to do this, but if she needed to go to the administrative staff, she would, even if they dragged her down with them. She paused, hearing a familiar voice coming from the main hallway.

"Whatever I can do to help you bring Roxas and Axel back together. That… That would break Vanitas, and maybe it would help him realize that he has some issues to work out."

Ventus?

_With… Selphie?_

Aqua turned around, noticing an absent-minded Larxene heading straight her way.

"Fuck…" she whispered to herself, hiding her face slightly as she walked straight to the other side of the hallway, and towards her next class of the day. Whatever it was Ven and Selphie were talking about would have to wait.

But Aqua couldn't keep the smile off of her face as Ventus's words echoed in her head.

" _Whatever I can do to help you bring Roxas and Axel back together."_

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Demyx spoke slowly. "Selphie _actually_ did something right and dug up some good dirt?" He asked, earning a curt nod from Kairi.

"I didn't believe it myself, but you'll want to hear this," Kairi smiled, not missing the brunette's shocked expression.

"Guys!" Selphie yelled. "I'll have you know that anything is possible when you set your mind to it," she cried.

"Still shocking that it was _you_ to find the lead," Zexion whispered, hiding his smile by turning his head towards the opposite end of the hallway.

It was the end of lunch, and students littered the hallway. Luckily Roxas had been keeping a low profile all day, which made it easy to openly talk to Ven about the plan they had been forming. He stepped forward, and began reciting everything that he had previously told Selphie. The brunette would interject every once in a while, re-explaining things, clearly butting in to sound more intelligent. He talked about Vanitas, and he informed everyone about the true reason that Vanitas is even doing this. He could tell that everybody was clearly getting upset, especially Kairi, so he did his best to assure everyone that he most definitely could find more information out.

"So you're saying we're dealing with a fucking sociopath?" Tidus gawked, earning a strong slap from Selphie. "What? It's true."

"He's not a sociopath, he just has some issues…" Ven paused, watching humorously as Tidus rubbed the spot where Selphie had hit him. "That's not the point though," he stated, staring forward at Kairi and Zexion, who he decided were the clear 'brains' of the group.

"The point is that we don't have a plan," Kairi sighed. "Obviously mere words aren't proof enough because Roxas has himself overly fixated on the rumor. We need visual proof. Something that shows him that Axel didn't cheat, no questions asked," Kairi spoke, leaning against her locker harshly.

"I wish I was still friends with Larxene and them. I'm sure there's some way I could find visual proof," Ven spoke, earning a wide-eyed grin from the redhead in front of him.

"That's it!" Kairi yelled. "We can't be the only ones sick of their shit. What about Aqua? She always seemed like the type of girl who rolled with their punches just because."

"It's worth a shot…" Demyx shrugged, leaning gently into Zexion, a warm pink tint darting across his cheeks as the slate-haired boy wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Let me handle it," Ven spoke, hearing the final bell ring. Picking up his backpack and swinging it over his right shoulder, he smiled.

"Meet out front after school and we can walk home and talk more," Kairi spoke, slinging her bag over her shoulder before running arm in arm down the hallway with Selphie.

"What are we doing after school?" Sora asked curiously, quickly jamming his locker open to retrieve a book he needed.

"Ven, why don't you fill him in on everything?" Zexion replied, pushing Demyx down the hall slowly. "I need to get this one to class on time."

"Ven?" Sora turned around quickly. "Oh!" He began to laugh lightly, shutting his locker harshly. "I thought you were Roxas," Sora smiled, his head tilting slightly.

"I get that a lot."

* * *

"You are not going to believe what I just saw," Larxene spoke, walking quickly back into the media room after shutting the door behind her. "I just saw Ven hanging out with Kairi and her pussy posse. What the fuck is that about?" She spat, falling into the chair to the right of Vanitas.

"And why should we care?" Vanitas spoke absent-mindedly, pausing only slightly to turn and look at his blonde haired friend.

"Because Ven is a slimy mother fucker. Who knows what shit he's telling them about us," she spoke, sounding just _slightly_ worried.

"He doesn't know anything about this Larxene, chill the fuck out," Vanitas scoffed, returning his full attention back to the video editing.

"Van, don't be stupid. One fuck up and we're both going down," she warned, suddenly taking caution to Aqua's words.

"And how are they going to know it's us? Hmm?" Vanitas paused, turning his full body to Larxene. "The media team will have no idea that we swapped out the senior slideshow with our video. And when we wipe the entire system of this computer, there will be no evidence. They can't catch us."

The plan all along had been to volunteer for the set-up of the Winter Formal, which happened the day before the dance. They planned to sneak into the school the night before and swap out the DVD for their video. The hard part would be steering the rest of the people away from 'double-checking' that the slideshow was working, but Larxene had assured him that that wouldn't be a problem. She _was_ awfully convincing.  Besides, Larxene was the one who was stationed to start the slideshow.

"I'm just saying to tread quietly…" Larxene warned, casting her eyes downward.

"Don't you dare tell me you're backing out too?" Vanitas gawked silently, tearing his eyes away from the computer screen.

"Oh fuck no," Larxene paused. "That little shit's had this coming for far too long."

* * *

"It's fucking freezing," Tidus spoke stiffly, crossing his arms and tapping his foot lightly.

"I believe the phrase you're looking for is, 'colder than a witches titty,'" Selphie cooed, wrapping her arms around Tidus's neck loosely, swaying gently back and forth.

"Whatever, I still don't see why _we_ have to be a part of this plan. Kairi and Ventus are clearly the ones who are going to be handling this," he scoffed.

"We have to be a part of this plan because I'm nosey, and have a constant need for validation," Selphie smiled, dropping her arms at the sight of Kairi, Ventus, Sora, and Riku walking out of the front door. "Now listen, we just have to be here to make sure everything runs smoothly. You don't even have to participate."

"Good, because I'm not-"

"Has anyone seen Roxas come outside yet?" Kairi asked, hiking her backpack further up her shoulder.

"He said he needed to meet with a teacher after class so we didn't have to wait for him," Selphie spoke, walking towards the group and away from Tidus.

"It's like he doesn't even know any of you," Riku sighed, linking his fingers with Sora's and pulling him away from the group slowly. "However we have other engagements to attend to."

"We've had holiday shopping planned for weeks and we both finally have time to get it done. We'll see you guys later maybe? Tomorrow?" Sora smiled, swaying back and forth from the excitement of potential gift giving.

"Sounds great," Kairi spoke quickly, shooing them away gently. "I need everyone acting natural for when Roxas comes out."

"I don't know why I thought you'd all be gone," Roxas spoke, walking out of the front door to the school, stopping in front of his friends. "You'd think I'd know better by now."

"Speak of the devil and he appears," Selphie whispered, her lips morphing into a mischievous grin, earning a swift smack from Kairi.  "Ow!"

"We thought we'd wait for you so we could all walk home together," Kairi spoke, walking forward to link arms with Roxas. She smiled, squeezing tightly. "And besides, we have to talk about formal."

"I kind of wanted to walk alone," Roxas spoke, slowly trying to remove his arm from Kairi's grasp, sighing lightly in the process. "And I don't know how many times I need to tell you in, but I'm not going to formal."

"Nonsense on both counts!" Selphie replied joyously, dragging Tidus along the walkway.  
"And is that any way to treat our new friend?" She motioned to Ventus, who was slightly tucked away behind the group. He stepped forward, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"… Okay?" Roxas responded, cocking his head to the side. Sighing, he shook his head side to side. "Okay, fine, sure. I'll bite."

"Mhhm, yes you will," Kairi responded, finally succeeding in dragging Roxas down the sidewalk.

The walk to their neighborhood wasn't a long one, only taking about ten minutes. The crisp winter air nipped at them incessantly, allowing no comfort in the lightweight sweaters and jackets they were wearing. They managed to keep a conversation going the entire way, including Ventus into the mix as if he had been there since the beginning.

"Not to be rude or anything, but-"

"Why am I here?" Ven asked, laughing lightly as Roxas's face flushed.

"I mean," Roxas paused. "Well, yeah."

"Selphie was interviewing me for her psychology case study and I had nothing else to do."

"We have a psychology class?"

"Anyway!" Kairi bellowed, squeezing Roxas's arm tighter. "You can fight all you want about formal, but you're coming with me. I don't have a date, and I will pull the best friend card if I have to."

"You wouldn't do that," he said, eyes widening as he stared at his best friend.  The 'best friend card' system was put in place years ago, only to be used under dire circumstances.  They made a pact that if either of them ever had a favor they absolutely  _needed_ done, then they could pull the best friend card and the other had to do it.  They've only had to pull it one other time, and unfortunately the one who pulled it was Roxas.  Plus, they swore on a pinky promise, and that's spiritual. 

"Roxas, I know that you had in your mind that you wanted Axel to take you, which, if you still want to, be my guest-"

"Kairi."

"But since I doubt that is going to happen, you have the next best thing!"

"Kairi."

"That's it. I'm pulling the best friend card. You have to now. I've never had to pull this, but you leave me no choice. You're dramatic and it's gross. You're going."

"Wow look at that, already home," Roxas spoke, a small smile on his face. The look on Kairi's face was worth the entire agonizing walk home. He walked up the sidewalk quickly, waving back to his friends. Opening the front door, he walked into the warm house, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"Roxas, thank god you're here," Ayumi spoke, walking into the hallway with a wooden spoon in her hand. "I got Kairi's text to get your suit dry cleaned, but I need you to-"

"You two are impossible," Roxas threw his backpack onto the floor and rubbed his forehead with his hands.

"Yes, I know," she spoke. "But I need you to try it on so I can make any alterations."

"When will I learn that I don't have a choice in any aspects of my life?"

"I don't know sweetheart, and frankly it's getting tiring," she sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Now-"

"I'm going, I'm going," Roxas spoke, grabbing the garment bag out of the closet. "Text your little bff that I'm all nestled into my chastity belt and ready for the ball."

"I could have died without hearing that sentence come out of your mouth."


	8. What If He Didn't?

* * *

 

“I’m so sorry!” Ven said loudly as the books in his hands tumbled roughly to the ground, splattering across the hallway floor. He immediately shot to the ground to pick them up, leaving his gaze to burrow into the ground rather than stare into the eyes of the person he ran into.

“Ven,” Aqua spoke smoothly, bending down quickly to help pick up the books. “It’s just me,” she laughed lightly, picking up and handing the last book to Ven, his gaze finally landing on hers. They stood, Ven clutching his books to his chest tightly before sighing.

“I’m sorry, I never look before rounding a corner,” he smiled lightly. “Some things-”

“Never change,” Aqua finished, her smile widening as she let out a small laugh. The laugh died down, and an uncomfortable silence falling over the two. He adjusted the books in his arms, clearly annoyed at the sheer weight of them. He just _insisted_ on carrying three class’s materials at once.

“I actually am glad I ran into you, I wanted to talk to you…” Aqua started, earning a surprised expression from the other.

“I wanted to talk to you too, but- oh never mind,” he laughed. “You go first.”

“Okay, yeah,” she started. “I noticed that you’ve taken a liking to Kairi and her friends,” she spoke slowly, swaying gently. “Not that I have anything against that, it’s just I haven’t talked to you-”

“No, I know,” he interrupted, leaning against the lockers roughly. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I just felt that it was better to steer clear of you whenever you were with the _others_ , and-”

“And I’ve been with them a lot,” she spoke, sighing before rubbing small circles into her temples. “You’re not wrong, and I’m sorry about that. I honestly don’t know why I hang out with them anymore, they’ve changed so much…”

“Well it took you a little while to get there, but I’m happy you finally see,” Ven said, a small smile on his face. “I’ve missed you way more than you know,” his smile widened, a calm feeling settling between the two. The hallways were nearly empty, a sure sign that the two would be late to their final classes of the day.

“But yeah, they’re really nice to me. I mean, they barely know me and I feel like I’m already accepted into their group, and that’s a really nice feeling…” he said, placing the books in his hands on the ground, smiling sheepishly. “I mean, you know I don’t really have many friends, and when everything happened with Larx and Van I was kind of banking on _our_ friendship… I haven’t really socialized with anyone since the fallout,” he said easily. “I don’t say that to make you feel bad, I just, it’s the truth. They make me feel welcomed. I don’t know what Van and Larx ever had against them, they’re awesome,” he spoke highly, his smile spreading to the corners of his face.

“You know _exactly_ what they have against them,” Aqua muttered, her smiling falling slightly. She looked side to side as the final bell rang, the few students who were in the hall previously all but gone.

“No, I know what they have against Roxas, which may I say is completely unfair,” he corrected. “They should have nothing against the others, they’re great people,” he reasoned, suddenly feeling guilty about talking them up so much in front of Aqua.

“I suppose you’re right,” she finished, smiling lightly, truly happy that he was able to find people who liked him, far away from the rest of their old group. If she was being honest, it also hurt to see how highly he talked of them, even after only knowing them for so long. “I should have kept in touch, there’s no reason I didn’t-” she spoke quickly, small tears forming into the corners of her eyes.

“It’s okay,” Ven assured, placing his hands on Aqua’s arms, giving them a light squeeze. “Honestly, I mean it. If I were in your position too, I would have kept the two close to me. It’s much better being ‘friends’ with them, than being their enemies. You have to look after yourself sometimes.”

“Do you know how unfair that sounds? You were,” she stopped, swallowing roughly. “ _Are_ my best friend. At least, I hope you are. I feel guilty even saying that.”

“I still say it,” he began slowly. “I tell anyone who asks that you’re my best friend. Even after all this time. I can’t blame you Aqua, and no amount of time apart is going to change the fact that you’ve been my best friend my entire life. So we had a little time apart, big deal,” he said, his smile faltering at the sight of tears rolling down the others cheeks. He reached out and wiped them away with his thumbs, laughing lightly. “I’m supposed to be the dramatic one, not you,” he managed a joke, happy to hear the laugh from the other.

“But to get back on track, you still haven’t told me what you wanted to talk to me about,” he said easily. “Am I right in assuming it has to do with Kairi and them?”

She remembered what she overheard in the hallway days prior and smiled lightly.

_“Whatever I can do to help you bring Roxas and Axel back together.”_

Clearly the group needed Ventus’s help with something, or Selphie wouldn’t have approached him. Don’t get her wrong, she was happy that she did come to him and she knew that they definitely weren’t just using him. You could tell they genuinely cared for him.

“I overheard you and Selphie talking in the hallway a few days ago,” she started, gauging the other’s reaction. He looked around quickly, the lack of students in the hall not calming his nerves.

“How much did you hear?” He asked, bluntly.

“Not much, just that you would do anything you could to bring Roxas and Axel back together,” she spoke softly, noticing the blondes nerves.

“Listen, I don’t care what you know, you just can’t say anything to the others,” he spoke quickly, his eyes brimming with guilt.

“Ven, Ven!” Aqua interrupted, a small smile on her face. “We just talked about how awful Larxene and Vanitas are, do you really think I would tell them any of this?” She sighed, crossing her arms tiredly. “It actually made me happy to hear you say that.”

He sighed, cheering silently to himself in hopes of Aqua helping them. This conversation all but confirmed it. He remembered the talk that Kairi and the others had with him the other day, proud of himself for being able to help their cause. Truth was, he was incredibly nervous to approach Aqua. He didn’t know if she would actually help them, or want to stay out of it completely, but he was happy that it sounded like she was on the same page as him.

“But today…” Aqua said. “Well, word on the street is that you guys can’t find any actual proof that Axel didn’t cheat on Roxas. And by ‘word on the street’ I mean that I sit next to Selphie in Calculus and she needs to learn to whisper just a _little_ softer.”

“Kairi was right, she can’t be trusted with _any_ information,” he sighed, laughing lightly.

“Well I’m glad _I_ was the one to overhear it, especially considering that I can help,” she smiled, gauging the blonde’s expression. “And I’m guessing that’s _exactly_ what you wanted to talk to _me_ about,” she laughed, watching the blonde-haired boys head nod quickly.

“You mean it, you’ll really help us?” He asked, a large smile stretching his lips.

“In any way I can.”

* * *

 “Why don’t we start by telling me why you think you’re here,” Ms. Lockhart spoke softly, her hands resting on the cherry wood desk in front of her.

“Are we really going to do this,” Roxas asked uninterestedly. He sighed, leaning back into his chair further, his eyes closing gently. “This is ridiculous.”

“Both your mother and I thought it would be better for you to talk about these things in a more familiar setting,” she reasoned. “Of course, if you’d rather meet at the hospital for a psychological analysis then-”

“Okay fine, let’s start,” Roxas spoke, cutting the other off immediately. “But I just want to say that this wasn’t a suicide attempt, I did something stupid, and I won’t do it again. There’s worse off students here and this is just a waste of time,” he spoke.

“Nothing is a waste of time, Roxas,” she said, scribbling notes down on a yellow legal pad. “Especially when somebody is going through a rough breakup at a young age. Do you want to talk about that?”

“I can honestly tell you, I’d rather get paper cuts between my fingers than talk to you about that,” he crossed his arms, watching her write more down on the pad. “Can you put that down, there’s nothing to write.”

“There’s plenty to write, but I could of course stop, if you’d just let me in,” she smiled, slowly putting her pen down for show. “But if not, I can just keep writing.”

“Fine,” he scoffed. “What do you want to know?”

“What makes you happy?” She asked, a smile on her face as she placed her pen down.

“What?” Roxas spat, swallowing as he saw Tifa begin to pick up her pen once more. “Okay, fine! God, just stop writing,” he was rewarded with a small laugh. “I don’t know what makes me happy,” he answered honestly. “My friends, I guess,” he sighed. “But I’ve been doing a pretty shitty job of showing it,” he watched Tifa, a small smile placed on her features. She opened her desk drawer, and placed the notepad and the pen inside before shutting it, leaning back in her chair to show that she would just sit back and listen. Roxas sighed lightly, silently thanking her.

“What makes you think that?” She asked. She was either an incredibly talented actress, or she truly cared about his wellbeing.

“I’ve been horrible to deal with recently,” he spoke slowly. “I’ve been lashing out, especially on Kairi, it’s a miracle she hasn’t cut all ties with me yet. Well, actually, she almost did, before the…” he paused, rolling his eyes slightly. “ _Incident.”_

“Let’s put that behind us for now. I won’t ask you about it unless you bring it up, all right? You share whatever it is you want to share,” Tifa smiled, leaning against the desk, her arms placed on top.

Roxas looked at her, a confused expression etched onto his face. He looked into her eyes, and he decided that she wasn’t an actress, that she actually cared about what made him happy. He sighed gently, suddenly feeling horrible for the rude way he came into the meeting.

“Thanks…” he started. “Um, my family,” he answered. “They make me happy.”

“Does that include Axel?” Tifa asked, gauging the topic. Roxas started to speak, but paused, holding his breath. He released it slowly, eyes darting to the floor deep in thought.

“I mean, _of course_ he counts, even though he cheated on me. I’ll always think of him as family,” he answered finally, slightly proud of himself for not raising his voice.

“But what if he didn’t cheat on you?” Tifa spoke, sounding strangely like his mother, catching him completely off guard.

“He did, that’s not part of the discussion,” he interrupted, his walls quickly being placed back up between the two of them.

“But what if he didn’t?” Tifa asked, slower this time. She stared straight into his eyes, silently nudging him to _actually_ consider the notion for the first time. He fiddled his fingers together, and allowed his gaze to shift to the ground. He supposed that if he really didn’t, then all of this pain and sadness would have been for naught. All the fighting between his friends wouldn’t have happened, and he wouldn’t have done something stupid to land him in this situation in the first place.

_But what if he didn’t?_

He thought, realizing that this was the first time he ever actually considered the question. He looked up into Tifa’s eyes, a small smile gracing her features, cheering him on.

“I… I don’t know,” he finally decided on. He knew that answer wasn’t good enough, so he swallowed, and sucked a breath in before slowly releasing it. “I… I guess I’d want everything to go back to normal, but… I have _no_ trust in him, even if he didn’t do it. It would be… Just, horrible,” he spoke. “I’d probably start fights because I’d think he was cheating. It’s in my brain, I just can’t remove it now.”

“Why don’t you try rebuilding the relationship as if he didn’t cheat?” Tifa asked. “Nobody is asking you to go from zero to boyfriends again,” she smiled. “Why don’t you build it back up to just friends? Talking to him with a level head would help both of you, and your friends.”

“You sound like my mom gave you a script,” he made a small attempt at a joke, a light smile tugging at his lips.

“Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t,” she smiled. “ _I’ll never tell,”_ she spoke, affirming the fact that Ayumi did in fact have a nice talk with the other woman. Roxas laughed lightly, rolling his eyes. “Talk to him. And this time, listen to him. I’m not saying you have to do it immediately, but, start to get comfortable with the fact that you both want to be in each other’s lives again.”

“… Okay,” he decided, the smile on Tifa’s face growing considerably. “Alright, I will. But don’t expect results over night,” he joked.

“There already are results,” she smiled, congratulating him on already taking the first step. “Now on a brighter note, will you be attending the Winter Formal? I heard it’s going to be quite the gathering,” she laughed.

“Kairi asked me,” he paused, “well, _asked_ is putting it lightly, I’m pretty much being forced,” he laughed, shaking his head from side to side. He didn’t know why he ever thought he had a say in if he was going or not. Between his mother and his best friend, all resistance was futile from the beginning.

“That sounds like an amazing time, you should go!” Tifa encouraged, pushing her arms off of the desk gently, before standing up.

“I don’t know...” he spoke, grabbing his satchel and swinging it over his shoulder before standing up with the other.

“It sounds like you don’t have much of a say,” she opened the door slowly, laughing lightly at the expression of the blonde-haired boy.

“You’re right about that,” he said, beginning to walk out of the door. He stopped abruptly, turning around to face the black haired woman, opening his mouth multiple times, each time sound not escaping. Tifa took this as her cue to nod understandingly.

“You’re welcome, Roxas,” she spoke, helping him along. He smiled lightly, a light blush dancing across his face. She knew what he was trying to say, and she knew that it was another big step for him.

“U-Um,” he began. “If you don’t mind…” he sighed heavily before standing up straight, the red tint of his cheeks becoming slightly darker. “Same time next week?” He asked, voice unwavering. Tifa’s smile brightened, and she nodded her head proudly.

“I’d like nothing more, Roxas.”

 

* * *

 

 “Wait!” Ven shouted through the hallway, hand in hand with Aqua as they ran through the groups of people to get to the other end. Larxene and Vanitas were still in the computer lab, and from the looks of it when Aqua checked, would be for at least a while longer. Now was the perfect time.

Kairi, Selphie, and Demyx were all standing near the entrance of the school, exactly where Ventus had told them to wait; mildly impatient looks etched onto the three’s faces.

“Thank god we caught you, I thought you were going to leave. I’m sorry it took so long,” Ven laughed, his breath coming out in ragged huffs. “Wow, I’m really out of shape,” he joked, noticing the confused expression on the other three. “Okay, so yeah guys, this is Aqua-”

“We know who she is. You have one minute,” Kairi spoke pointedly.

“I know that in the past I haven’t spoken up when Vanitas and Larxene have harassed you guys, and I deeply regret that,” Aqua spoke quickly, rubbing her arm gently. “And I want to apologize-”

“Apologize, yeah, yeah,” Selphie spoke quickly, batting Kairi and Demyx out of the way. “Are you here to help, or not?”

“Straight to the point I see,” Aqua smiled, allowing her eyes to dart around the hallway towards the computer lab. “And yes, I am, but not here. I don’t want anyone to see me talking to you guys.”

“You’re kidding right?” Kairi asked, annoyance clearly visible on her face.

“N-No! I didn’t mean it like that!” Aqua corrected, waving her hands in front of her body. “I just meant-” she stopped, walking closer to the three. “Listen, can we get out of here? I don’t want Van or Larx seeing.”

“Fine,” Kairi said, shaking her head lightly. “My house tonight, but so help me God if you’re wasting our time-”

“I’m not, I promise!” Aqua spoke quickly. “I promise you’re going to want to hear what I have to say,” she finished, turning her head to match smiles with Ven before jogging away from the group quickly, her smile slowly widening as a warm feeling spread through her body.

“You could have been a bit nicer, Kai,” Demyx mused, hiking his backpack further onto his shoulder, a small smile plastered onto his face.

“I’ll play nice when she earns my trust. If she comes with information that can help us, I’ll retract my claws,” she said easily, earning a small cackle from Selphie.

“I promise that you can trust her,” Ven spoke softly. “I promise.”


	9. Movie Night '2.0'

 

* * *

 

“I knew he was messed up, but that’s just insane,” Selphie spoke, exasperated. She reached over to the bowl Tidus was holding that housed the ready-made-popcorn, obviously with extra butter, and grabbed a large handful stuffing it greedily into her mouth.

“Insane, but helpful,” Zexion said certainly. He shifted his weight gently, leaning against Demyx slightly harder, his back pressed against the others chest. “He clearly doesn’t believe that you would come straight to us and spoil his plan,” he said to the blue-haired girl, a cocky smile spread on his face. “And Larxene is just dumb. This is almost too easy.”

“That may be so, but we still have the issue about the video,” Ven commented. “I guess we could just turn them in, but the only thing that would prove is that they’re horrible. It would do nothing to help Axel and Roxas.”

The group had been at it for nearly an hour now, first listening to what Aqua had to share, and then tossing ideas back and forth on how to stop this. Of course, there was a small break in between to get more popcorn, but they were still exactly where they started.

“Okay, but right now those are two separate issues. We need to get rid of that video first and foremost, that completely throws a wrench in our plans,” Kairi answered with a mouthful of popcorn.

“Wait a minute,” Aqua said thoughtfully, she turned her body to face the rest of the group, turning away from the movie that was playing in the background. She smiled, deep in thought. “Maybe it _isn’t_ two separate issues.”

“What are you getting at?” Zexion spoke, removing himself from his boyfriend reluctantly to sit up, engaging fully into the conversation.

“Yeah, it’s totally two separate issues,” Selphie mused, bopping her head back and forth, tossing singular kernels of popcorn into her mouth.

“Not if I have a say,” Aqua smiled brightly, clear victory shining on her features. “What if I could get a video recording of Vanitas admitting that he made the whole thing up?” She asked, earning wide-eyed expressions from everyone in the room.

“You could do that?” Ventus asked, a small smile on his face. “I mean seriously, that can’t be easy.”

“It won’t be _entirely_ easy, but he has been on edge recently,” she paused, smiling. “All I have to do is bring it up and hope for the best. He’s bound to say something about it, right?”

“I got it!” Selphie exclaimed, standing up abruptly, sending the bowl in Tidus’s lap flying, spilling popcorn all over the table and the floor. “Aqua, you _need_ to get that video. You’re right, it isn’t two separate problems.”

“I’ll definitely try-”

“No, not try,” Selphie paused. “Do. I have the perfect plan,” she smiled, giggling mischievously as she placed her hands together, ultimately letting out one final cackle. “Oh my god, I’m a genius.”

“Spit it out already,” Kairi yelled, slapping the brunette’s legs gently.

“Alright fuckers listen up,” she spoke, standing abruptly, moving around the coffee table so that everybody could see her. “Step one,” she clears her throat, sharply pointing to the blue haired girl. “Aqua secures a _clear_ and _pristine_ video of Vanitas admitting that Axel didn’t cheat on Roxas,” she smiled.

“I’ll try-”

“Did I fucking stutter?” Selphie cocked her head, her apparent sarcasm lost on the new girls face. She raised her eyebrows alluring at Axel who was sitting on the complete other end of the couch. He rolled his eyes, staying silent. As much as he didn’t want to play into Selphie’s antics, there was a desperation to him that made him want to listen. “Step two. We somehow get _Aqua’s_ video to play instead of the one they’re making of Roxas,” she paused for dramatic flair, studying her friend’s faces before her. “Step three, make sure Vanitas and Larxene are too occupied and detained that they either can’t switch the video’s back, or can’t check,” she spoke excitedly.

“Step four, make sure Roxas is there, and oh my god Selphie, you actually did something right, again!” Demyx mused, studying the shocked expression on bot Kairi and his boyfriend’s faces.

“Well I actually-” Aqua started, before feeling a hand on her knee. She turned to Kairi who had a small smile on.

“Let her have this one,” she joked.

“I don’t know why you all underestimate me,” Selphie cackled.

“They _were_ talking about how they were going to switch out the DVD the day before during setup. And Larxene is the one running the media projections for the formal, so she’ll be the last to touch it…” Aqua spoke, attempting to find a solution for the ‘master plan.’ “We just need to somehow distract her long enough that she doesn’t double check that the video is the one they made.”

“This plan is fucking crazy,” Axel spoke finally, joining the rest of the group. “There’s no way that it will work, let alone successfully without any of you getting caught. I don’t need any of you in deep shit.”

“Do you want him back?” Kairi asked, burrowing her gaze into her brothers intently.

“Of course I do, but-”

“That’s what I thought,” she smiled.

“What if we take a safer approach?” Zexion offered. “There’s no way that they won’t check that the video is good to go, but even Larxene would be smart enough to not broadcast it on the big screen. She would double check that it worked, _just_ from her laptop.”

“What are you getting at?” Axel asked, his curiosity piqued.

“What I’m saying,” he paused, smiling triumphantly. “Is that we’ll sneak in late at night the night before the formal, and rewire the media configurations so that _our_ laptop will be set to the projector instead of theirs. So she’ll check the video right before the video presentation, and it will _still_ be the video they made, and right when they go to play it, we’ll play ours and side swipe them. We just need to make sure that whatever video Aqua gets; the evidence is quick to the punch. We can’t have any teachers turning us off. Maybe start the video with a fake announcement of the presentation? Then segue quickly into the proof.”

“You’re so smart, babe,” Demyx mused, brushing his nose against the slate-haired boys cheek.

“Can we not with the ‘babe’s’?” Tidus scoffed, sighing heavily.

 “And then when all the chaos is happening, one of us makes sure Roxas sees the real story, while another person tells a teacher about the other video, landing Vanitas and Larxene in hot water,” Selphie smiled. “Check, fucking, mate,” she threw herself back into the couch, laughing.

“One little thing guys,” Axel sighed. “If Aqua gets the video, why don’t you save all of the trouble and just show it to Roxas?”

“One, that isn’t nearly as fun, and two,” Kairi sighed. “They’d still play their video then, which is equally as damaging. No, they aren’t going to stop making our lives living hell unless they’re busted with a taste of their own medicine. We need to expose them, send them a shock they didn’t know we had.”

Axel sighed, shaking his head from side to side. “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “I guess you’re right, but I don’t want _any_ part of this. Please, he hates me enough as it is right now.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Selphie smiled. “You just sit your pretty little butt down and leave all the work to Mama here.”

“How do we know that you’re telling the truth, Aqua?” Tidus interrupted, earning multiple heat-filled stares from the others in the room. “What? It’s a fair question.”

“No everyone, he’s right,” she said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I don’t expect you to fully believe me, let alone trust me. We were horrible to you guys, and I’m so unbelievably sorry for everything we ever caused you, but,” she paused, smiling while motioning to Ven. “ _We_ are not _them._ ”

“But how do we know you’re not doing this to trick us and just make it worse?” Tidus pressed, this time, everybody’s expressions remaining neutral.

“I don’t know, Tidus,” Aqua spoke, not intending to fight to make herself trusted. “All I know is who I am, and what I’m sorry for. My life is miserable with them, constantly being pushed around, and now being pushed into people who don’t deserve any of it,” she reasoned, feeling a reassuring squeeze on her leg from Ven. “It was the last straw when I saw that video… I just… _snapped,_ ” she sighed. “I don’t expect you to believe me. You have all the information that I know, if you want me out of this, I understand. Just know that I won’t let them hurt you all any longer.”

“I believe you,” Axel spoke softly, multiple sets of eyes shooting towards him. “I do,” he smiled. “If you wanted to hurt us, you’d let that video happen. Plus you never participated in the past when Vanitas and Larxene would harass us. It was as if you were just there, floating,” he finished, taking in the soft smile that Aqua had offered him.

“We’re going to make this right for you all,” Ven added, smiling at the group. “I just wish that we’d all become friends under _better_ circumstances,” he joked, earning a few laughs from the rest of the group. Small thuds sounded in the distance, progressively getting louder, indicating that somebody was coming down the stairs. A few seconds later, Roxas came into the room, stopping abruptly, gawking at the number of people sitting around the basement couch.

“I, um,” he started. “I was told this was a _small_ get together,” he said, casting a disapproving glare into his best friends direction. He sighed, walking towards the stairs.

“Don’t leave!” Kairi said quickly, bolting up from her spot on the couch.

“Relax, I’m just taking my shoes off,” he rolled his eyes, kicking his shoes aside. “And besides, my mom wouldn’t let me even if I tried,” he walked towards the couch, catching Axel’s gaze, quickly causing him to turn his head. He sat at the far end of the couch, farthest away from Axel and the two newcomers, but he couldn’t stop stealing glances. After the third, he noticed that Axel’s gaze was permanently fixed on his person, succeeding in making Roxas feel completely naked.

“Well then, let’s get ‘Movie Night 2.0’ started!” Selphie yelled, reaching her hand into the now empty bowl, gasping at the lack of popcorn.

“Why 2.0?” Kairi asked, standing up and grabbing the bowl from Tidus’s grasp.

“Because we have, count them, _two_ new friends,” Selphie cackled, clearly proud of her pun.

“Selphie, I’ll level with you, you’ve been pretty crafty recently,” Kairi spoke. “Don’t ruin it,” she stepped over Tidus’s legs that were resting on the coffee table, and turned around to face the group. “Come upstairs and help me get some more snacks Rox,” she smiled in a way that gave Roxas no choice but to agree. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Axel visibly shift. He stood up, and walked around the table and towards the stairs that Kairi was already climbing. They entered the kitchen immediately, Kairi looking all around for the bag of snacks her and Axel had purchased earlier in the night.

“Damn, I think we left them in the car. Wait right here, I’ll be right back,” she spoke quickly, running to the opposite side of the kitchen, and into the laundry room that led to the garage.

“It’s been nice seeing you,” Axel spoke softly, not wanting to scare the blonde. He still managed to make him jump, Roxas turning around quickly, placing a hand against his heart with a small laugh. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, that’s why I talked softly…”

“It’s okay,” Roxas said. “And… Yeah, it’s been nice seeing you too,” he spoke confidently, proud of himself for getting a fluid thought out. Ever since meeting with Ms. Lockhart, he’s really been trying to picture Axel without all the drama surrounding them. He hasn’t managed to consider the notion that Axel _didn’t_ cheat, but he has managed to relax himself enough around the other.

“I could get used to it…” Axel tried, clearly pressing his luck. Roxas rolled his eyes, a small smile still evident on his features.

“Axel…”

“I know, too much, I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly, rubbing his hands through his fiery hair with a small sigh. “I’m just happy you’re here,” he finished with a small smile. “Listen, if me being down there is going to make you uncomfortable, I can head up to my room, no big deal.

Roxas blushed involuntarily when Axel said ‘my room.’ He quickly composed himself, opening the fridge to pull out bottles of water and soda. “Don’t be ridiculous, it’s fine,” he decided, his heart speaking before his brain. “It’s just a movie.”

“Okay this time, I didn’t set you up, I really left the bags in the car,” Kairi spoke quickly, eyes darting between the two boys.

“Kai, it’s fine, we’re not fighting,” Roxas spoke, smiling at the relieved expression his best friend had. “Now hurry up with the snacks, I can practically hear Selphie’s stomach form up here.”

They worked together, the three of them, putting snacks into different bowls and plates, making a nice spread for the nine of them. Roxas couldn’t help but notice how natural the three fell into movement, putting the past month aside in his thoughts. They walked down the stairs, placing the many snacks onto the table and into Selphie and Tidus’s laps, before sitting down on the couch, this time, slightly closer together. Kairi turned on Netflix, swiping through the movie selections until they all _semi-agreed_ on one. They watched the entire movie absentmindedly, making jokes and talking about different things throughout the entire movie, and before they knew it, the movie was over, and the night was coming to an end. Zexion shook his boyfriend lightly, who had fallen asleep in his embrace. He opened his eyes slowly with a smile and a yawn before sitting up and placing a small kiss on the other’s lips.

“Let’s get you home, you’ll be awful to deal with tomorrow if not,” Zexion joked, pulling the other to a standing position. “Thanks for tonight guys, we’ll see you tomorrow,” they left the room slowly, walking up the stairs.

Selphie was next to let out a _incredibly_ loud yawn, stretching her arms obnoxiously, hitting Tidus in the process. He sighed, pushing her away.

“You’re next princess,” Tidus smiled, pulling the other off the couch. “If you’re out a single minute past midnight you turn into a pumpkin,” he mused, grabbing plates and bowls as they made their way up to the kitchen. Ven and Aqua took that as a cue to help with the cleanup as well, earning a small smile from Kairi.

“You guys can just leave that stuff here, Axe and I will get it,” she smiled, leading the rest of the crew upstairs and into the kitchen. After goodbyes were said, Axel walked everybody out to their cars, leaving Kairi and Roxas alone in the kitchen.

“I gotta ask,” Roxas said lightly. “What’s up with Aqua and Ven suddenly hanging out with us?”

“They’re nice,” Kairi replied effortlessly. “They’re a fun addition to our group.”

“Last I checked, they didn’t like us…”

“That’s because they never gave us a chance, just like we didn’t give _them_ a chance. Just like you’re not giving the truth a chance.”

“Kairi, we almost made it the whole night without this, please don’t ruin it.”

“Mark my words Roxas,” she tossed the bowl on the counter, her lips turning up into a victorious smile. “By the end of this week, we’ll get you to see the truth, or we’ll die trying.”


	10. Mac and Cheese and Felonies

* * *

 

“It’s perfect…” Larxene said softly, watching the video on the large computer screen, a maniacal smile plastered across her face. “You said it would be good, but this is… beyond.”

“I told you it would be _perfect_ , and now that little slut is going to have it handed to him. He has no idea what’s coming for him,” Vanitas smiled, saving the final product to not only a DVD, but a backup hard drive. The final product was less than a minute, the perfect length. If anybody tried to stop them, chances are, it’d be over before somebody pulled the plug. Even if the video were twenty seconds, the damage it would cause would be completely worth it.

The bell to the final period of the day rang, signaling the end of the school day, and the end of Larxene’s and Vanitas’s free-period.

“Perfect timing,” Larxene mused, pulling her cropped blonde hair back into a high pony-tail. She smiled, taking the DVD from Vanitas and putting it immediately into her backpack. Her head turned towards the door as a familiar blue-haired girl entered, a small smile on her face.

“You have some balls to waltz up to us,” Vanitas spat, logging out of the computer and standing up, slipping his sweatshirt over his head.

“I thought I’d give you guys one last chance to stop what you’re doing,” Aqua spoke forcefully. She hiked her bag up further onto her shoulder and made sure it was meticulously placed towards the duo.

“Can you just give up already?” Larxene spat, shaking her head from side to side, wide eyed. “What’s done is done. The video is complete, and _perfect_ might I add.”

“Tomorrow night, Roxas is finally going to have handed to him what he deserves,” Vanitas smiled, hiking his bag up onto his back. The two began to make their way towards the door, but Aqua stepped forward, stopping them in their paths.

“You’re really going through with the video?” Aqua questioned, immediately realizing that she needed to be more specific if she wanted to catch the two completely. “The video you made is damaging to Roxas, and it isn’t even true. He’s not a slut, and he’s not a horrible person. He did _nothing_ to you,” she paused, looking at Vanitas. “And _you_ ,” she motioned to Larxene. “Why are you blindly following Vanitas? Just because he’s jealous that Terra left him? He has to go on and spread _lies_ about Roxas,” she spat. “Saying that Axel cheated on Roxas, and that Roxas is a slut… Those are _both lies_ and you both know it.” _Come on Aqua._

“Nobody cares that they’re lies! Once the damage is done, it’s done!” Larxene yelled.

“But Axel didn’t cheat on Roxas!” Aqua pushed, forcefully.

“So what if they’re lies? Roxas is _never_ going to trust Axel again, and that’s all that matters to me.” Vanitas yelled over the both of them, striding past Aqua to close the door to the computer lab. He turned to her, a menacing look on his face. Aqua immediately backed up towards the white board, making sure to keep at least ten feet away from them. She needed to make sure they remained in the shot. Vanitas didn’t make an effort to move forward, and neither did Larxene, to which Aqua was thankful for.

“You’re right Aqua,” Vanitas spoke evenly, a calm tone to his voice. “I’m jealous,” he smiled. “If it weren’t for Roxas, Terra would have never left me, and I would have never spread a lie that Axel cheated on Roxas. But I’m not sorry,” he laughed. “The only thing I’m sorry about is that Axel _didn’t_ cheat on Roxas. If he did that would have made this whole plan foolproof.”

 _Bingo_.

“But what are you going to do?” His smile widened. “The video is done, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” he crossed his arms, nodding at Larxene for affirmation.

“You’re right Van,” Aqua looked down, trying her best to hide the smile that was dancing across her face. “I guess I just got carried away with trying to get the old you back. You too Larxene,” she managed to wipe the smile off her face in time to look up at the two. “You’ve been so bloodthirsty towards Roxas, for something he couldn’t even control. He didn’t like Terra… He was,” she paused. “ _Is_ , so in love with Axel, and you ruined that for both of them,” Aqua sighed, shaking her head back and forth. “But I’m not going to stop you. Share that video at formal, do what you have to do, but just know that it didn’t have to be like this,” she finished, shrugging at the two of them.

“Losing you as a friend is worth the price of seeing Roxas suffer,” Vanitas spat, and Aqua would be lying if she said the tinge of pain she felt in the gut of her stomach wasn’t real. As horrible as Vanitas has become, it still hurt to lose a friend.

“And you?” Aqua mustered, looking at Larxene. “I’m to assume you’ll follow Vanitas to the end of the Earth?”

“Got that right,” Larxene smiled. “All I’m going to say is stay out of this, and stay away from us, and this will be _painless_ ,” Larxene laughed. “Well, for _you_ anyway,” she smiled. “Let’s go Van, we gotta go set up the equipment,” her smile widened, and she exited the room, Vanitas right behind her.

Aqua watched as the two left the room, and she couldn’t bear to hide the smile that danced across her face any longer. She shut the door behind them, locking it tightly as she set her purse down on the table, fishing her video camera out of the bag. She stopped the recording and rushed over to one of the empty computers, plugging it in and signing into her school account. The clock seemed to slow down as she waited for the video to upload onto the computer, which seemed to take forever. When she was awarded with chime signaling the video was finished, she opened it quickly and pressed play.

The video was _pristine_. The placement of the recorder was perfect, and she couldn’t help but smile. The sound levels were perfect, and it definitely helped that she wound Vanitas and Larxene up before the confession.

_You’re right Aqua. I’m jealous. If it weren’t for Roxas, Terra would have never left me, and I would have never spread a lie that Axel cheated on Roxas. But I’m not sorry. The only thing I’m sorry about is that Axel didn’t cheat on Roxas. If he did that would have made this whole plan foolproof._

Aqua couldn’t contain her smile, or the small shake that had taken over her hands. She made quick edits, cutting out some of the footage that she didn’t feel was necessary, resulting in a video just slightly over a minute. She immediately saved the video to her account, and placed a DVD into the drive, backing it up immediately. She followed the procedure again, making a second copy, and backing it up to her her hard drive. She put one of the DVD’s back into the computer to make sure it worked, and was quite pleased when the video began to play back immediately. She took the DVD out, and put everything into her purse and zipped it shut, clutching the bag close to her body. She stood up, laughing at how weightless she felt, and made her way to the door, and more importantly, her friends.

* * *

 

“I got it,” Aqua spoke quickly, completely out of breath as she finally caught up to her group of friends who were walking home. The six turned around, all taking their own time to register what the blue-haired girl had said.

“No way…” Tidus said, eyes widened and jaw dropped. Selphie hugged him from the side tightly and began jumping up and down, a childish laughter filling the air.

“Aqua are you serious?” Kairi spoke next, stepping forward to get closer to the other. She watched Aqua’s lips turn up into a smile and couldn’t help the bubbling feeling that erupted through her entire body.

“Very serious,” she smiled. “I already made copies, and backed it up to my hard drive,” Aqua finished, laughing lightly as she felt a pair of arms crush her upper body. “But I obviously had to put myself in the video… And certain things I said make it well known that I knew they were doing this, and did nothing to stop it earlier… So when it’s played, I may go down with them,” she finished, looking over at Ven who now wore a concerned expression.

“Aqua…” Ven started, and Kairi released her arms from Aqua’s body.

“No, I deserve it,” Aqua started, eyeing all the expressions from the group of friends. She smiled lightly, repeating the word 'friends' over and over in her head. “I could have stopped all of this before it began, and I kept my mouth shut. As long as we can pull this off, I don’t care if I go down. I’m done running,” she smiled, opening her purse. “Everything you need to prove that Axel didn’t cheat on Roxas is on this DVD,” she handed it to Zexion, who immediately placed it into his backpack for safe keeping.

“Thank you, Aqua…” Kairi spoke lightly, a small tear forming in the corner of her eyes. She laughed, sniffling hard.

“Don’t thank me,” Aqua smiled. “Those two are _perfect_ for each other. It’s about time you all finally fix this mess.”

“I think you mean _we_ ,” Selphie smiled, linking her arm through Aqua’s, laughing when Kairi followed suit, cramming Aqua in the middle. The blue-haired girl smiled and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“So what’s next?” Ven asked, shivering slightly at the maniacal expressions worn by both Selphie and Demyx.

“Oh I’m glad you ask young Ventus,” Selphie spoke, reluctantly removing herself from Aqua to put space in between the friend group. “I’d say the operation has now begun,” Selphie smiled, hiking her backpack onto both of her shoulders instead of one.

“You know what to do?” Kairi asked, honestly worried that they were putting this much faith into Selphie’s performance.

“Oh relax _mom_ ,” Selphie sighed. “I won’t be caught. Plus, some of the band kids owe me favors, there’s no way I’ll get caught,” she smiled. “Remember, I’ll make sure Larxene and Vanitas are totally gone, and then I’ll text you. Don’t call me before,” Selphie smiled.

“I know this is going to go in one ear and out the other, but be careful,” Tidus sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

“You worry too much, I’m like, _made_ for undercover detective work,” she saluted, earning multiple sighs from the friends in front of her. “I just have to run home first and pick up a few things! Duty calls,” she giggled before running off the opposite way, back towards her house, and the school.

“I can’t be the only one who just got more nervous than before, right?” Ven questioned, cringing at the similar expressions from everyone else around him.

“Have faith,” Kairi sighed, finding it hard herself.

* * *

 

_From: Selphie_  
_9:58PM : I’m soooooo hungry. >.<_  
_10:02PM : Tell me you brought me dinner._  
_10:04PM : Like, I’d love if you brought me some Mac and cheese._  
_10:05PM : But also I’m not picky. I’d take really any pasta._  
_10:06PM : Answer me :(_  
_10:08PM : Guys?_

“Does anybody have any food, she won’t shut up,” Kairi sighed, pulling her hair back into a loose pony-tail. She placed a black cap over it, covering all but a little amount of hair.

“I have a granola bar and a cheese stick, but it’s been in my backpack since the beginning of the week,” Demyx offered.

“That’s perfect,” Kairi said quickly, typing a quick reply on her phone.

_To: Selphie_

_10:09PM : We brought you food. Have L and V left yet?_

“I can’t tell what’s going to be worse, Larxene and Vanitas if we get caught, or Selphie when she finds out the ‘food’ is a warm cheese stick and a hard granola bar,” Tidus mused, sighing heavily.

“It’s been six hours, that cheese stick is going to taste like camembert right about now,” Kairi reasoned, earning multiple laughs from the others.

_From: Selphie_  
_10:10PM : I’ve always loved you the most Kai-Kai. *swoon*_  
_10:10PM: And I’m checking now, so far so good. No janitors in sight either. Checking the gym now._

“She’s checking the gym now, if all is clear, we go in immediately. Zexion, you ready?” Kairi smiled.

“As I’ll ever be,” he said easily, earning a small hug from his boyfriend.

“Be careful,” Demyx cooed, pressing a small kiss onto the others cheek.

“We’ll be fine,” he reasoned, hiking his backpack onto both of his shoulders. He made sure to bring plenty of equipment and tools so that he would be able to reconfigure the media easily.

_From: Selphie_  
_10:11PM : The coast is clear. Knock only once on the band room door._

“Alright guys, everybody remember the plan?” Kairi spoke, standing from the floor of the small clearing in the bushes they were hiding in.

“Tidus, Demyx, and I are to remain on look out and immediately notify you guys if there’s trouble,” Ven spoke easily. “I’ll text you if anything goes wrong, so make sure you all have your phones in an accessible place.”

“Perfect. You guys ready?” Kairi smiled, motioning to Aqua and Zexion.

“Ready,” the two responded, standing up with Kairi.

“Let’s hit it,” the red head smiled, beginning her walk across the parking lot, and around the back of the school.

The three made their way to the practice football field, where the marching band rehearsed most days. There was a singular car in the parking lot, which caused the three to stop and crouch down immediately. Kairi squinted, looking closer at the car, only to sigh and shake her head.

“What an idiot,” she whispered. “That’s Selphie’s car, she must’ve driven it here after she ran home.” Kairi stood, accompanied by the other two. She pulled her phone out quickly and drafted a text.

_To: Ventus_  
_10:16PM: I need the three of you to split. One on each side of the school’s entrances. The car on the south entrance is none other than Selphie’s, so don’t let that freak you out._

“Kairi need us to split up,” Ventus spoke as the other two looked up. “Demyx, you go to the main school entrance. Tidus, you go to the cafeteria entrance, I’ll go to the band room entrance.”

“You got it,” Demyx smiled, immediately taking off into a sprint across the parking lot.

“This just gets more difficult by the second,” Tidus sighed. “I knew I should have stayed home,” he muttered, before running off towards the cafeteria. Ventus made his way to the band room entrance, hiding in the bushes directly across the road from the band room door. He created a group chat with everyone involved, hoping that that would help communicate better.

_To: Kairi, Aqua, Zexion, Demyx, Tidus, and Selphie_  
_10:19PM : I thought this group chat would help. We’re all in place, we’ll let you know about any changes._

“Perfect,” Kairi smiled, pocketing her phone. The three began running across the parking lot once more, the band room door in sight. Her pocket vibrated, and she immediately took her phone out of her pocket, glancing at the notification.

_Selphie renamed the group ‘fuck me nasty daddy’_

“Fucking hell…” Kairi sighed, shaking her head. “Remind me to kill her when we see her.” Both Aqua and Zexion let out a small laugh, following the redheaded girl towards the door. Kairi administered one swift knock on the door, pleased when the door opened, revealing a tired looking Selphie.

“Food, now,” she gasped, reaching towards the three friends.

“Here, _your majesty_ ,” Kairi cooed, tossing the granola bar and cheese stick at her friend.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Selphie whispered intensely. “You made me believe I was getting _pasta_. Cheesy, beautiful pasta,” she whined.

“Well, you have carbs in the bar, and there’s some warm cheese. Close your eyes and imagine,” Kairi smiled. She led the other three slowly through the main hallway, careful to look around every corner, and be as quiet as possible. They eventually found themselves at the entrance to the gym, which was nicely propped open, perhaps thanks to Selphie.

It was completely empty, but immaculately set up thanks to Larxene, Vanitas, and the Winter Formal committee. The projection screen was already in place, as well as the media stand, and projector. And if things couldn’t get better, either Larxene’s or Vanitas’s laptop was already hooked up to the projector. The four clicked their flashlights on, and entered the gym quickly.

Zexion opened the computer, surprised that there was no password blocking the account. “How stupid can they be?” He smiled, playing the video quickly. He winced as the first picture and set of words appeared across the screen, and quickly exited out of the video. He sighed, and ejected the disc. Putting the disc into his computer, he uploaded the video quickly to his desktop, making a mental note to back it up to his hard drive when he got home. If anything went wrong, they needed proof the DVD existed. He put the DVD back into the other computer, made sure everything was back in the exact place it was left, and shut it lightly.

“Alright you guys, keep lookout while I take care of everything over here,” Zexion spoke softly, removing his backpack and opening it quickly. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

Kairi, Aqua, and Selphie all walked over to the entrance, sitting down in front of the one section of bleachers.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Kairi sighed, shaking her head. “I feel like my blood is pumping, and my heart is racing a mile a minute.”

“Oh _please_ , I had to stay in the band room all day, this is easy compared to what I endured,” Selphie coughed. “I almost got caught twice, until I finally stayed hidden.”

“That’s your fault, we told you to stay hidden from the start,” Kairi reasoned, shrugging, earning a small laugh from Aqua.

“What’s so funny?” Selphie asked, polishing off the last bit of her cheese stick.

“Well, it’s just funny to me how sisterly you both act. You must have been friends for a long time,” Aqua’s smile faltered slightly. “I’m a bit envious, actually. I don’t have friends that close,” she finished.

“Well…” Kairi smiled, leaning against the wall of the gym. “You do now. And that’s all that matters,” she looked over to Selphie for reassurance.

“Totally!” Selphie spoke, a little too loudly, earning a swift punch from the redheaded girl. “Ouch!”

“Keep quiet and I won’t have to do that,” Kairi reasoned.

“Ugh, you’re horrid,” Selphie mused. “But as I was saying,” Selphie smiled. “You’re stuck with us now Aqua. There’s no getting rid of us.”

_To: fuck me nasty daddy_  
_10:41PM: Ventus : Guys, stay inside, there’s a cop car pulling into the back parking lot. They’re walking up to Selphie’s car._  
_10:42PM : Tidus : You brought your fucking car?!_  
_10:42PM : Selphie : … Maybe._  
_10:43PM : Ventus : He gave you a ticket._  
_10:44PM : Ventus : He’s leaving, he’s driving towards the main entrance._  
_10:45PM : Demyx : He just drove past the main entrance and turned down Hyland Drive, he is officially gone-zo._

“Alright guys, I’m finished. I just want to test this real quick,” Zexion spoke. The three girls walked over to the computer, which was hidden incredibly well behind the bleachers that were folded into the wall. The perfect hiding space for formal. He also did an incredible job of disguising the cables. He left all the cables into Larxene and Vanitas’s computer intact, but unplugged them more towards the projector, swapping out the cords to now connect to his computer. It looked like they hadn’t changed anything. He inserted the disc Aqua had recorded, turned the volume all the way down, and pressed play. The projector immediately came to life and shot the video up onto the screen. He increased the volume slightly, testing if it worked, and smiled when he was rewarded with perfect success.

“Check, mate,” he spoke easily, powering down the projector and the video. He masked the cords and the computer, completely invisible unless somebody were _looking_ for the computer.

“I can’t believe we pulled this off…” Aqua smiled.

“Not yet, we still have to make sure tomorrow runs according to plan,” Kairi sighed. “That’s the hard part. We have to be on _constant_ Vanitas and Larxene watch, to make sure they don’t snoop around too much, or overly check everything. Not that I think they will.”

“I’m prepared to do whatever you need me to do,” Aqua responded.

“Me too! Besides, I wasn’t planning on attending many classes tomorrow,” she smiled earning multiple eye rolls. “Alright, let’s get out of here,” Selphie spoke quickly, jogging towards the entrance.

“Wait,” Kairi stopped her. “We need to split up the second we’re outside, larger groups will be more noticed.”

“You got it Captain!” Selphie cheered, exiting into the hallway, and jogging towards the band room door.

 _To: fuck me nasty daddy_  
_10:52PM : Ventus : Guys, are you there?_  
_10:53PM : Kairi : We’re good. Zexion just finished, we’re all about to leave._  
_10:53PM: Demyx : What next?_  
_10:54PM: Kairi : I want everybody to meet at my place. But for the love of god, split up. This isn’t over till we’re completely away from the school._


End file.
